There's a time and a place
by Iai-gami
Summary: Our characters find themselves at a loss of what to do with their lives in the world they live in and long for a world that is physically impossible to see using their eyes in this world. So what would they do if they had the chance to live in the world of their dreams? Let's add some romance to this story and explore the world they wish to live in. :D enjoy!
1. There's a time and a place

**There's a time and a place...**

_(There are a group of people, through no means of their own, met one another through pure curiosity. These others who they came to know and love as friends shared their interests, what they loved and they often contemplated what their life would be like in such places other than their own in worlds that could not possibly exist except in their imagination and dreams. The very thought if it existed felt like a dream to them, it elated them many a time to think so. They all contemplated their lives every day they lived it and wished the worlds they watched through the screens of their Laptops and PC's was before their very eyes. Let us take a look...)_

**Timi's POV**

I could have killed that guy. So annoying. Never have I been so angry at someone just for talking like a dick for the entirety of a two hour session. Next time I should poke him with one of the needles I keep at home. Good god, anything would have been better than that lesson, I want to find out what happens in the anime I started watching last night. One Piece seems like such a good anime, and it has potential. At least it's one of the better ones I have seen, some of them are absolute crap. I wonder what it would be like to go on an adventure within a world like that...

**Tim's POV**

Getting this piece of work done is easy and it's pretty similar to the first one I did. Though, this is getting rather repetitive and I'd rather be shooting arrows at a board than listening to my teacher giving a lecture on how to do stuff. Nothing I can't find out on the internet. I'd really want to play Dragonball Xenoverse right about now if I was at home but it isn't available for download until the weekend. Damn Japanese. It would have been better than doing work right now. I wonder what I would have been doing if it wasn't for this...

**Rebecca's POV**

Why didn't they tell us sooner about that friggin deadline?! Honestly, you'd think if they wanted us to do a decent job on our fashion textile assignments that they'd give us more time to do them. Silly teachers. Sometimes, they just drive me more insane than I already am, not to mention when they are supposed to tell us that the lessons are cancelled and don't. Arrrgh! Sometimes, ugh! I'd rather be at home doing something more productive than this, like watching anime. Wonder what's gonna happen next in One Piece...

**Rachael's POV**

Oh man. That lesson may have been short compared to my Wednesdays but with the amount of sleep I have been getting recently, it feels like I have dragged my body through a grater. I feel exhausted. Usually I would go home and have a nap, but falling asleep is the issue there. Chores to do, College work to finish. Sometimes I wish it would all just go away. To get away from this place, this world, it would be a dream. Not that I have many of those anyway. I guess I should probably get that checked. Now, where to go from here...

**David's POV**

Ahhhh, what to do today. I don't really feel like getting out of bed but I do need to get a drink. Maybe I should ask mum for coffee? Nah. That can wait until later. I need to at least work on my mortise and tenon joints on this thing. Making a decent table isn't easy and I'm not exactly a pro at this right now. I know Rachael told me that my computer was fast, but I could still improve it in some ways. Getting that water cooling system and a better graphics card have been on my agenda for a while now, but I need to get a bank account for that. Damn. Need ID for that shit and getting a passport is more hassle than it's worth if I am not going to use it again. I wonder what's gonna happen in the anime I watched yesterday, hmm...

_(After all of them returned to their homes and settled down in their sanctuary's, a storm brewed that night, with a vengeance like nothing ever seen before. The lighting so frequent that the sky echoed with the sound of thunder constantly. As they all stared out of their windows at the spectacle that awaited them, the ground shook with the force of the electric bolts as they collided with the ground. As they all held on for dear life to objects insecure in their rooms, their places of comfort disappeared from around them, their memories scattered about into nothingness.)_

**Everyone's POV**

What is this?! Am I dead? Did that unnatural lightening hit me? I thought that's what lightening rods were for. Shit! Wait, what is that? That light, coming closer and closer. Where is this place?

_(As they emerged from the white light in the black abyss, they all found themselves free falling through the air above a vast blue landscape. The sea.)_


	2. Timi Time

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

**Everyone's POV**

_(thinking)_ Where is this?! How did I get out into the middle of the Sea? And why the fuck is my ass freefalling through the air?!

(_As our characters free fall to heaven knows where, we move to elsewhere in this new place where a young man named Monkey D Luffy, along with his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, are sailing the seas. Constantly searching for new adventures and new enemies that may await them, all the while running from the so-called authority of the World Government.)_

**Luffys POV**

"Sanji! Food! Need food! Now please! Need food! Need food! Need food! Need food!" I shouted, my stomach empty after a good night's rest.

_(Thinking)_ Why does Sanji have to be cruel? He never lets me get midnight snacks after they got that fridge with a lock. At least that trap isn't there anymore, that thing hurt! Ooooo, is breakfast done already? I smell food!

"What's for breakfast Sanji?" I yelled from the deck of the Sunny. The Thousand Sunny. It was a good name for the ship that Franky and Iceberg built together and it had a good spot for me to sit on the head.

"It's sandwiches." I heard Sanji reply.

"Is there meat in 'em?" I yelled in response as I ran up the stairs to the kitchen

"Of course! You wouldn't eat them if they didn't." He replied with partial discomfort.

As I stuffed my face with sandwiches, the meat in the middle dripping in juices from cooking, I heard something strange. It sounded like the shocked scream of a woman.

"Oi! Robin? Nami! You ok?" I yelled, thinking it would be one of them.

"We're fine, Captain!" yelled Nami from outside as the sound of rushed footsteps came up the stairs of the Sunny with Usopp bursting in soon after.

"You're not gonna believe this! There's something flying out there!" Usopp yelled at us, the look on his face one of complete surprise.

"Those would be birds, Usopp." Zoro replied with sarcasm obvious in his voice.

"No! no! no! There's something flying through the sky but it's not a bird! I can't tell what it is!" He replied to Zoro, his finger pointed out the door as he talked with a questioning look on his face. I immediately grabbed a handful of sandwiches, rushing out of the door of the kitchen as I stuffed them all in my face, my mouth swelling to keep them inside.

"Oi! Luffy! Others have to eat you know!" Sanji shouted after me as he followed.

As I searched the sky, I saw nothing. "Oi! Usopp! Where's the bird?!" I shouted in disappointment.

"For the last time, it's not a bird! Look up there!" He shouted back at me, his finger pointing to a vapour trail of an object high in the sky. As I shielded my eyes, I focused hard on the object. It really was hard to see. As my face turned red with focus, I could see what it was. It was a woman! What was a woman doing up there?

"That looks like fun!" I said, my eyes lit up with awe.

"I don't think she's doing that on purpose Luffy." Usopp replied, smacking my head.

"Only one way to find out!" I said, flinging my arms either side of the mast.

"Oi! Oi! Luffy! What are you doing?!" Sanji asked, not surprised but still shocked I was doing what I was.

"Gomu Gomu no...Rocket!" I shouted, shooting off in the direction of the object in the sky. As I got closer I could see it was definitely a woman. How did she get so high up? She was screaming but I couldn't make out what she said. As I stretched out to grab her, she zoomed past my arms so fast I didn't have time to catch her as she headed towards an island in the distance. Letting myself fall again, I grabbed onto the Sunny.

"Nami, set a course for that island!" I ordered. The rest of the crew knowing what I would say started moving around the ship accordingly.

"Aye Captain! Turn the ship hard to port!" Nami shouted to the crew. She is a good navigator, I never had any doubt. As we sailed towards the island, I wondered who that girl was and what awaited us on that island.

**Timi's POV**

_(shouting whilst freefalling) _"Where am I?! Why am I falling?! Is this a dream?! Help! Anyone! I won't kill you if you help me! Please! Anybodyyyyyy!" I was shouting over and over. I then noticed a nearby island and how close I was to hitting it.

"Ssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttttttttt!" _(collides with island). _"Itetetetetetetete! That hurt! Ite!" I looked around where I had landed, a small crater lay around me. "Holy crap! How far did I fly?!" As I stood up, my surroundings came into focus and I noticed I had landed on a small island with a forest. The dense foliage surrounded me, the tropical climate already clinging to my body, small beads of sweat forming on my skin.

"Where am I?"


	3. Where to go from here

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

**Timi's POV**

As I looked around, I saw nothing but foliage. The green expanse of trees and bushes that flourished with berries and fruits grew all around me, their sweet smell making me drool a little. My stomach, empty. The smell of the fruit was tempting but I decided against eating it as it could be poisonous, not knowing what they tasted like either. That man who reached out to grab me looked like someone from One Piece. But it couldn't be could it? That man couldn't have been Monkey D. Luffy. It is physically impossible for me to be here if it was. As I decided to look around the surrounding area that was sheltered from the sun, I could smell the burning of wood somewhere nearby. Who would be burning on a hot day like this when the sun was at its peak and the heat was stifling to those who aren't used to it.

As I followed my nose, I could see a village through the dense branches of the native plants. Sheltering myself behind a tree, with a bush to hide my body, I looked around. There were people here, and animals. Big animals and small. At last, somewhere I might be able to find help. I've got to be careful though, those animals might look friendly but the last time I misjudged, I got punched.

As I contemplated what I should do next, a man who was quite tall and well built in nothing but his tribal wear which went down to nothing but coverings over his privates grabbed me by the back of my shirt, hauling me up by nothing but my clothing, brought me out of the bushes and threw me on the ground.

As I was about to snap at him, giving him the evils, I heard footsteps behind me. They were light. As I turned my head to face him, I saw an older, more developed man, a long beard reaching his waist. I slowly made my way to my feet, looking around at the crowd of warriors that now surrounded me. Is this it? Am I going to die here?

The older man stepped forwards and walked around me, looking me up and down. The nerve, I want to punch him right now. Nevertheless, I did not move as he did so, retaining my cool as he did so, my annoyance buried for the moment, nothing obvious on my face.

"How did she get here? Takashi, you found her? Where?" asked the older man.

"She was hiding in the green belt around the village Tanu-san." replied the man who had so rudely dropped me before. Takashi. Named noted. The old man was called Tanu. Must be short for his full name.

"Hey!" I interjected. "Though I know you'd like to chat about how I got here, can you at least tell me where here is?". The annoyance now obvious in my voice from being ignored.

As the older man looked at me, the look in his eyes one of kindness but still remaining wary, like a veteran soldier of war, he replied "this is Gurīn island. Known by few since very few have left here. Gold Roger being one of those few."

The older man beckoned for the man who had found me to him, as they talked in whispers, I looked around at village I had ended up in. All of the houses made of bamboo like plants that looked like they were made from a plant still anchored to the ground by the roots. As they stopped talking to look at me, I looked at the older man's eyes intently, sure of myself that I would survive this.

The determination must have been strong in my eyes as he then turned to me, coming extremely close to look closer at them, my gaze unwavering.

"Takashi, please escort this young woman to Haru"

Gasps could be heard from the villagers and the animals amongst them became restless. Who was this Haru?

"But Tanu-san..." the man known as Takashi was cut off before he could continue by the older man as he raised his hand. As the younger man sighed as he knew he could no argue, he beckoned for me to follow. As I followed him, my feet felt heavy. I felt nervous. Who was this Haru that they spoke of that made them so uneasy? And why was I headed there? As we walked in silence for a while as we had long since passed the village boundaries, we came to a large house in the middle of the forest that inhabited the island.

The house was large and made of the same material as the houses in the village I had seen before. As we approached up the small slope to the house, Takashi seemed to slow. Just who was this woman?

As we came to the house, Takashi approached the door and knocked 3 times, slowly, but hard. As he finished the 3rd knock, the sound of footsteps approached the door and a young woman could be seen in a kimono as the door was opened. Her belly enlarged through pregnancy, her face pale and calm.

Takashi pronounced a few words in a different tongue that was most likely the natives first language rather than Japanese. As the young girl responded, she took my hand, pulling me into the house with one fluid motion and slamming it shut, locking it as she did so before I even had time to recover from the force of her pull.

"So..." she started as she walked slowly to the table in the middle of the room, its surface covered in herbs, plants, fruits and a most prominent crystal ball in the center. As she sat at the ornate piece, she continued "...what makes you so special that the village elder sent you to me?"


	4. Another one

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

**Tim's POV**

Ah wha wha? What the-Where am I? How did I get here again? And why is my ass freefalling above the sea? Umm, very confused right now. Is that the sea? That's gotta be the sea. _(a few minutes pass, still freefalling)_Bored now. How long am I gonna be freefalling? I want to hit land sometime. Wonder if I can see any islands...hmm. (_looks around, sees nothing_) God dammit!

(_Hours later_) When am I gonna hit a friggin island?! (_Hits island, much to his surprise_). "Iteeeeeeeee! That hurt!" (_thinking_) Should have seen that coming. Where am I? (_looking around_) Fuck! It's cold! I need to find shelter, or a coat. Or shelter and a coat. That'd be nice. Shame I can't stand the cold like Rachael, the friggin eskimo.

(_trudging through the snow in pyjamas, thinking_) I can't feel my feet anymore and if I don't find shelter soon, I'll freeze. (_looking around he sees a cave, the light of a fire flickering against its walls_) Shelter. That's better than walking around in this snow.

(_As he runs as fast as his frost bitten toes allow him, he trips and falls face first in the snow. Attempting to stand, his lower legs now no longer respond to him. As he uses his arms to pull himself up the slope towards the cave, he pulls himself inside the entrance, losing consciousness as he did so, but not before seeing a shadowy figure approach him. He thinks_) Is this it?

**Kid's POV**

Who is this kid? He just dropped from the sheltered entrance to the cave using only his arms, who'd have thought? There was hardly any muscle on that tall slender body. His legs are shivering and his calves are purple, the frostbite has partially set in. I know he's not mine to worry about, but I can't just leave a fellow man in the snow, no matter how tough I usually act. No normal man could survive this weather. Just who was this kid? He had managed to find his way here in nothing more than his sleepwear. At least I think it is sleepwear. Guess I should bring him along until he comes around fully. He won't be going anywhere soon, not with those legs or the hypothermia he has now.

"Doctor, fix this sorry bastard up. He's in need of your help more than mine right now." I ordered the ship's doctor, who for all purposes we just called Doctor.

As he approached the young man, I watched as he begun to work, asking for help from my crew to help carry him to the fire. This bastard had better be glad of my help, coz he'll be stuck with me for a while.


	5. Snow Day

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

**Tim's POV**

(_thinking_) I feel cold. Is this death? Am I dead right now? (_begins to feel vibrations in his body_)What is that? Am I shivering? Is it possible that I survived that blizzard? Am...I...alive? (_opens eyes slowly, seeing the top of the cave, unable to move his head to look around_). My body. I guess it's still numb from walking around in all that snow. How did I even end up here. One minute I was watching Dragonball GT, then that weird lightening storm happened and the next moment, I am here. Wherever here is. Bit boring. If I had a coat, I would have been making better time, and having more fun. Damned blizzard. All I remember was collapsing in a cave and seeing a shadow approach me before I passed out. (looking down noticing his coverings) Furs?

"You're finally awake huh? About time, I was starting to think you wouldn't make it." My eyes shot open at the sound of a man's voice, and I looked up to see a man with a scruffy long ponytail. His hair was startling blonde and his eyes dark brown, a contrast to his surroundings to say the least. "Try not to move, you've still got minor frostbite and I can't disseminate whether you have damage at the moment. For now, just chill." he said, smirking.

"Where am I?" I asked. Though I knew I had found the cave earlier and collapsed, I wasn't sure if this was the same cave. We could have moved and I may never have known, since I had been unconscious for what seemed like an age. My head felt like it had been hit by something, a migraine raging away as I tried to remain conscious as I fazed in and out of the land of the awake.

"Fubuki Island, in a cave, in the middle of nowhere. So..." before the man had the chance to continue he had been interrupted by a much bigger man than himself, his hair a startling red and held up with a pair of what looked like steam punk goggles. It seemed to stand up on its own even without the aid of them anyway, not a drop of hair gel in sight. How does it do that?

"Oi! Fucknut! Who the fuck are you? And why were you walking around in fuck all in that weather?!" The man exclaimed to me, the look on his face was not a patient one. I thought best how to respond and the following seemed to flow from my mouth like the shit I wanted to let out so badly right then and there, he was that scary. "I am Tim. Who's giving a shit?"

The man raised an eyebrow, the impatient look changing slightly, turning more to one of intrigue but still remaining angry. It was almost as if his outlook on life seemed like a rage inducing one. His red hair seemed to define his rage, gravity defying and most likely uncontrollable. Hehe.

"Watch the lip, shitbrick. I have yet to decide on whether to kill you or not. Personally, I could have let you die in that fuck ugly storm." he said, pointing out the entrance to the cave, where a storm still raged unnaturally. "You can't walk yet, so you have no way to run from me. It would be as easy as killing the marine flunkies I get to squash every day. My bloodlust has been building for a few days now, so don't push it dickwad!" he shouted at me, the look of a predator hunting his prey in his eyes. He was serious much.

"The fuck is your name, twat?" At that comment, he went livid, covering the short distance we were apart, moving quickly for his size. As he raised his fist to land a blow to my head, the man with the pony blocked his path, halting his attack before he could release his punch.

"Knock it off, Kid. He can barely walk as it is. Beat him up when he at least has energy to fight back." Was this man nuts? Had he really been willing to take that punch had he continued his attack to protect him? Meh. Not worth wasting time thinking over. Besides, he hadn't exactly gotten me off the hook if I was to expect a beating later.

Bringing his hand back down to his side, he replied "Kid. Eustass Kid." Turning to return to his place, he sat down on a rock, warming himself by the fire they had going even in this harsh weather.

**Eustass Kid's POV**

(_thinking_) Who the fuck does this kid think he is?! Son of a bitch. Haven't had a kid stand up to me with that much balls in a while. Come to think of it, when was the last time a brat showed some balls against me who wasn't a marine? Ticks me off. Don't see why I am saving his life in the first place. If I'd let him freeze to death, then he wouldn't have been my problem right now. As soon as this storm ends and we're able to venture outside again, he can find his own damned way off this god forsaken island.

Why did that asshat Polo even help that bastard? Sure, he was on the brink of death, but why'd he help him? He doesn't even know that brat. I'd ask him to join my crew, but so far he's done fuck all to impress me. I'll pay him no mind. That bastard may have shown balls, but he'll need more than that on the sea.


	6. Onwards

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

**Polo's POV**

I'm glad he pulled through, I didn't think he would make it. If the frostbite had been any more severe, he would have lost his legs. His shivering was bad enough when we found him. Kid reacted the same as he usually does, with rage and violence. Guess being him isn't as easy as the rest of the crew. At least the kid is conscious now, I can work easier now he can move a little. Though, he'll never survive alone on this island, he'll die. I must talk to kid about dropping him on the next island, he'll have a chance then. Until then I should focus on getting him to full health before we get back to shore.

That unnatural blizzard that has been raging for several days has been getting gradually lighter. I think I can see the storm clouds parting, I can see the sun. The blizzard has completely stopped. The unnatural phenomenon that has plagued us since we arrived has finally gone now. Guess it's time to depart from this island, not that there was much to see anyways. We were beginning to run low on food too.

"Kid." I addressed the Captain, my voice low. His look never changing, pissed off and angry most of the time.

"Mmm." He acknowledged.

"What are we gonna do about the brat? We can't just leave him here, otherwise my healing him would have been for shit." I started calmly, hoping he wouldn't blow his top.

"Hmm." He pondered for a moment. That was rare for him.

**Kid's POV**

I pondered what Polo was asking of me. He was right, we couldn't just leave him here. But that fucktard still hadn't shown much for me to be impressed by. He had shown balls, I'll give the brat that much, but he still didn't impress me. He needs more than balls to do that.

"Bring the brat. We'll drop him on the next island. From there, he can choose where he goes." I felt in a forgiving mood, plus the kid still couldn't move. "Use the sledges we used to get the food here to get him to the ship." I abruptly ended our conversation, jumping out of the cave entrance into the fresh snow beneath us, the powder reaching my knees as I trudged as fast as the deep snow would allow me down the slope towards the frozen shore, the sun now shining against the white landscape.

**Tim's POV**

The blizzard's over. That red head left a short while ago, what a dick he was. I wonder...what will become of me now? Will they leave me here? Wait. Surely saving me would be proof enough that they are planning to do something, to take me with them.

"Oi! Pony-guy!" I called out, getting the attention of the guy who had saved my ass from the redhead. He walked towards me, looking down at me disapprovingly as he did so. "What's your name?"

"The name's Polo. And you?" He responded, a hint of hesitance in his voice.

"You can call me Tim." I outstretched a hand, pulling it out of the firs as I did so. Not that I liked touching people, but I was on uneven ground with these people right now, the least I could do was show courtesy to my rescuers.

Taking my hand with a firm grip, releasing it shortly after, he began to question me. Great. This was going better than I thought. "Where did you come from? To be dressed like that you must have at least flown here somehow. Right?"

I pondered how to respond. Should I lie or should I tell the whole truth? Telling a lie was never my forte, and telling the truth wasn't exactly going to be a believable story either. Guess I should just tell the whole thing as it is.

As I explained to Polo of how I had arrived on that island, his face went through several changes. From listening intently, to intrigue, to laughter at how stupid my story had sounded. I stopped, unsure of whether I should have continued, but I think he knew enough about how I had gotten into my current predicament to at least put two and two together.

"Haha. You're alright kid. You just might make it in this world." He replied, a merry smirk plastered across one side of his face, still chuckling as he talked. He stood up. I should ask him now.

"Excuse me, I have one question." I started, trying to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Mmm." He acknowledged.

"Umm, what's going to happen now that you are headed out to sea?" I felt a weight drop off my chest, my worries now a little lighter.

"Kid has agreed, although reluctantly for you to come along, but only until we reach the next island. By then, you should be strong enough to stand and make your own way. Got it?"

"Yep." I replied, not exactly pleased as Polo sauntered away, jumping out of the cave entrance leaving only a few men with me. Guess I should be grateful to that redhead bastard of a Captain of these men. Wonder what kind of Island it will be? Hopefully warmer than here.


	7. A painful landing

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

**Rachael's POV**

(_thinking_) Woah! This is awesome! Flying through the air like this is great! Wait a second. If I've been flying around all this time, wouldn't it be safe to assume that I will hit the ground at some point. Hmmm. That won't be nice. Ah, what can I do about it anyways. Might as well accept the fact. (_sees something in the distance_) What is that? It looks like it's floating on the surface of the ocean. Is it a sea wreck? (_focusing hard_) A submarine? A yellow submarine. Haha. Reminds me of that old song. (_clapping a tempo_) We all live in a yellow submarine. Haha. Didn't think I'd see a sub that small, it looks weird.

I can see an island. And I'm slowly descending. Well, this is where I hit the ground. (_hits island, leaving a crater on impact_). "Itetetete!" I winced in pain, holding my head which was now throbbing, a warm feeling trickling down my head. Great, I am bleeding. I stood up and looked around.

(_thinking_) Where is this? I know it's in the middle of the sea, but it's a tiny island. It's not even big enough to live on. Half of it is sheer drops and the other half is a beach. There's nothing to eat as far as I can see and it doesn't look habitable at all here. Guess all I can do is wait to die. I wonder which way that sub was heading. Knowing the nature of such things, their submergence was probably to go a different direction, but I could have been wrong.

(_thinking_) Getting somewhere high. That's somewhere I need to be. Hmm. Now, which way. I looked up to see a sheer cliff, two very steep slopes bordering its sides. Guess there is only one way that I am going to get up there.

I walked up to the slope, the incline steeper than I originally thought. At least it was better than climbing a sheer cliff. Rock climbing was never my forte, even with a partner. Finding hand and footholds, I climbed the slope, slipping on the moist soil here. It must have rained here recently since the slope made me slip many times, dying every part of me brown as the shittest shit. As I reached the top. I turned around, walking almost to the edge of the cliff, looking down on the pathetic excuse for an island. It really was small. As the sun began to dip below the horizon, dyed the sky with gentle burning oranges and red, I smiled. I had always liked sunsets, each one was never the same, just like snowflakes.

The warm feeling that trickled down my face continued to throb in my head. I sat down, not caring for the wet grass since I now felt nauseas and light headed. Wiping my hands on the damp ground, I washed what mud I could off of my hands. Cross legged, I leant my head on my arm, not feeling like battling with gravity at the moment.

As the sun disappeared, revealing the silver crescent of the moon, I looked up, stretching out on the damp ground, not caring possibly due to the amount of mud I was already covered in. I was never really one to let the cold bother me, and this was nothing. Propping my head up with my hands behind it, I drifted into the realms of sleep. Not that I got restful sleep anymore.

**Law's POV**

Not that I should be surprised, but that was not a natural thing to happen, even in the grand line. Who was that girl? She didn't seem bothered by the fact she was flying but more the fact that she was going to hit the nearby island. I have to check this out. Flying without wings or some sort of air displacement mechanism, even here, is not normal. At least we were heading to that island anyways. Guess it means that our visit will be a little more interesting considering the data gathered on it. Kakkinonai Island is supposed to be uninhabited by animals and humans due to the poor soil quality and strange weather conditions there and no one in their right mind would even go there deliberately unless they needed to.

So who was that girl?


	8. Brown Hair Dyed Red

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

(_After a short night's sleep, Rachael is awoken by the light of the sun as it rises. Opening her eyes, she sees a blue sky, smiling_)

**Rachael's POV**

At least it didn't rain. There isn't even any trees here to make a good shelter here. It's more than I could have hoped in a autumn-like climate like this.

(_As she attempts to rise from her position of sleep, she suddenly falls back feeling weak, her head throbbing intensely, her eyes closed in pain_)

Itetetete! It still hurts. I thought the sleep would take care of that. Guess I shouldn't move around too much. At this rate, my time here will be shorter than I first anticipated. (_sitting up after another attempt,_ _she_ _attempts to stand. Her legs wobble and buckle under the additional weight_) Well I'm not going anywhere fast. (_Crossing her legs and arms_) I shouldn't move for a while anyways, not with my head how it is now. (_Looking up, her head falls back floppily, seeing the sky she then falls unconscious, her body collapsing to the ground_)

**Law's POV**

Strange. Since that girl landed on Kakkinonai Island, I've seen no sign of her, nor any other living thing for that matter. It's been 5 days since I saw her head in the general direction of this island. I should have seen some sign of her by now, even if she was malnourished. She would still have the strength to move.

"Captain!" Bepo shouted at me.

"What is it, Bepo?" I asked

"I detected a scent, Captain. It's faint, but I can smell blood in the wind. If you really did see that girl, she must be high up somewhere." He replied. He knew not to keep me waiting.

"Lead us there." I ordered.

"Aye!" he replied, happy at being given something to do that made him responsible.

(_After several hours of traversing the strange terrain, the Heart Pirates come across a sheer cliff, with two steep sides, looking almost impossible to climb_)

"Bepo?" I asked, a tad confused.

"Up there, Captain. That's where the smell is coming from." Bepo pointed to the top of the cliff.

"How annoying." I replied, bending down to pick up a small pebble.

"Wait. Captain!" Bepo shouted as I threw it upwards.

"Room". I opened my operating space. "Shambles". Switching places with the rock I had just thrown, I landed on the cliff edge, taking a few quick steps forward, not sure of the stability of the rock. As I looked up from my feet, the sight that met me was not a welcoming one.

The woman I had seen a few days ago. It was, it had to be. Her hair was stained red, her head resting in a pool of scarlet. Her face, stained with dried blood. She must have been like this for a few days. I have to act quickly. Kicking the rock I had thrown up here off of the cliff "Shambles", I returned to the bottom of the cliff, the unconscious girl on my back still leaking blood.

"So much for keeping this hoodie clean." I said to myself. "Bepo, come on. We have to treat her, NOW! She has a trauma to the rear cranium which needs our attention IMMEDIATELY! Go and order the crew to bring the sub closer to me. Go. Now!"

As Bepo ran on ahead, I walked to avoid the girls head from bleeding more than it already was. She's in a critical condition and I need to give her first aid, but there's no shelter here. Or anywhere for me to perform surgery without risk. I need the sub to give her treatment, lucky I have Bepo. He was a much faster runner than I.

Seeing the sub coming around to the closer shore I jumped aboard, running to the infirmary as fast as I could whilst holding her fragile body in my now red arms. Giving her unconscious body to a crewmate who I had ordered to join me in the E.R, he began prepping her for surgery. Sterilised and washed, I applied the gloves and entered hurriedly. My hands immediately meeting her head with a fast but smooth motion as I examined the full damage done to her cranium. Gesturing for the crewmate to bring the necessary surgical tools, I went to work cleaning the wound. She has thick hair, hmmm. It'll need shaving. And with her being unconscious, she won't be feeling any pain. No need to dose her with the anaesthetic.

Grabbing a shaver from the trolley , I shaved around the affected area, telling the crewmate with me to cut the rest of her hair short to avoid it getting in the way. Getting a closer look, the damage to her skull was minimal but the skin damage was going to be irreparable without a large scar post surgery. As I restructured the broken part of her skull, the world went silent. It was like this every time I was in surgery. The world seemed to cease to exist, my concentration pushed to the limit and my hands forcefully stable with one slip meaning death for this girl.

With her skull restructured, I worked on the torn skin. Cleaning around the wound a second time, I gestured for my crewmate to pass the needle, stitching the wound together as well as it could have been, the stitches large to accommodate the tear.

"Put her in the decontamination shower. Get Bepo to clean her up." I ordered, the crewman immediately rushing to find Bepo. As he was searching, I removed her remaining clothes. A fair amount of bruising covered her ribs. As I ran my fingers over the ribs that were visible, I fixed a few broken ones that I found. Had I found her any sooner, she may have been lost.

"Captain!" Bepo came rushing in, looking first to him in address and then to the girl on the table. "I'll clean her up. Where should I put her after?"

I thought a moment. "Put her in the room opposite mine. I will need to keep an eye on her condition over the next few days."

"Aye, Captain." Bepo replied.

As I took of my stained hoodie. I threw it at Bepo, it landing on his head. "Get that washed too." I added with him deadpanning at me as I smirked. As he walked out of the surgery room, I followed him out, turning the opposite way to him, I headed to my room, my chest now bare. Grabbing a random shirt, I walked out, heading to the cockpit.

Checking the charts for the next island, I saw it was one that was far away considering the short number of days of travel between each one we'd had so far. Contemplating our course of action after treating the girl, I sighed, turning around and walking out of the cockpit. It had been 20 minutes, Bepo had to be done by now. Walking back in the direction of the room I had assigned Bepo to take her, I ordered Penguin and Shachi, who passed me on the way to bring me bandages, a neck support and an IV line, as well as a life support machine and a heart monitor. Can't hurt to be cautious.

Reaching the room, Bepo had lain her on the bed, with Shachi and Penguin coming up behind me with the equipment I asked for. Whilst Penguin was busy placing the support around her neck, I took a small blood sample, running back to the infirmary, I tested for which blood I would need to give her. Finding out it was S (RH+), I grabbed a bag from the fridge. Returning to her room, the life support machine was already turned on, a mask upon her face and her breathing shallow.

Attaching the IV line to her vein, I connected the tube to the blood bag, the red fluid running into her body, providing her with the much needed energy she needed to heal. Grabbing the bandages from Penguin, I ordered the rest of them to return to their duties. I applied the bandages, wrapping them around her head and her chin as well as her neck to make sure the minimal bleeding from her gash was contained for now.

Pulling up the covers, I relaxed in the chair beside her bed, watching her for a few moments as the blood did it's work. Her breath was still shallow but the colour was beginning to return to her face. As I stood up to walk out, I looked back once more, leaving the door ajar as I walked away listening to the beeping of the machines.

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Kakkinonai - Lifeless

Bepo - Crewmate and Navigator of Law's and he's a polar bear

CAPITALS - Exaggerated shouting

E.R - Emergency Room

IV Line - used to feed blood into the body through veins in the arm

RH+ - Rhesus Positive, a biological marker on blood cells of that group

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	9. The Shazbat and the Fool

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

**SPOILER ALERT** \- If you have not watched to most recent episode of One Piece, do not read ahead as it will spoil the events of Thriller Bark.

**(Please keep in mind that the Brook in this part of the story is from before he was killed and became a skeleton after being resurrected due to the effect of the Revive-Revive Fruit, or as said in the original Japanese dubbed version, the Yomi Yomi no Mi. For this reason, to avoid confusion, I will put 'Captain' before this Brooks name, as Rebecca lands in a time different to the other characters, when the Rumbar Pirate's first Captain has passed away and Brook took charge of the crew.)**

(_Three of our characters have landed on various islands, meeting with very unnerving circumstances. How will our other characters fare? Read on to find out..._)

**Rebecca's POV**

(recalling a Potter Puppet Pals video) "Flying through the air on a broom, I try my very best to avoid my doom. When in the corner of my eye, it will loom! The Snitch! I've got to get the Snitch! I've got to get the Snitch! I'm flying 'round the pitch, and I've really got an itch. Draco Malfoy's very rich but his mother is a...FISH!"

(_thinking_) How on earth did I get up here in the first place? Jeez. First there was that storm that was really weird, even for English weather and then that flash of light and me falling into an abyss and then the next thing you know I wind up here. Wherever here is. Being on the ground would usually be a thing ya know. Ground is good. Freefalling, slowly, not so much. Bored now. (not looking where she is heading, she passes over a ship. The sound of a violin can be heard playing a merry song as the crew sang along with joy, a jolly roger upon the flag and sails.

(_Looking down at the ship as she passes over, thinking_) Noisy. (_Not noticing that she is on a collision course with an island not too far off, she hits the island_) "Ow! Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude. You'd think I'd at least hit ground with something to slow me down first. Jeez."

(_Still hearing the sound of the merry pirates, she looks off in their general direction._) "Sounds like they're having fun." (_looking around, she's surrounded by giant, thin, bamboo-like trees. The thick plumage of the tops of the trees creating a dark shelter. Getting out of the sun, she stumbles to the shaded part of the bamboo, out of the mini crater she had formed upon landing. Not seeing an end in sight to the forest of tall bamboo-like trees, she begins walking._)

**Captain Brook's POV**

(_thinking_) Who was that girl? She didn't seem to be bothered by the fact she was flying. Maybe she did it on purpose, it looked fun. She barely seemed to notice us as she passed over and we're making a lot of noise, so how come? Well, at least we're headed to that island she hit, maybe we'll see her again. Then maybe I can ask to see her panties. (Laughing out loud) "Yohohohoho!"

(_after walking around the bamboo-like forest for several hours, Rebecca begins to see sunlight, shining through the space between two bamboo stalks. Exiting the forest, her feet meet with soft, fine sand. Taking off her shoes and socks, and stripping out of her fleece jumper, she places them on a rock nearby, running out onto the beach and flopping into the sand, back first._)

**Rebecca's POV**

As I stretched out, the sun felt good against my bare skin. It had been ages since it had been like this for me. No parents, no sister, no one there to disturb me. Not a care in the world. Shame it couldn't have been like that back home. It wasn't really relaxing even being alone in the house, though it did take the edge off. I miss my cat Puss. She would have loved it here. Just going outdoors would have been enough to cheer her up and we could have played a bit together like our days in Scotland when we first took her and Ginge in. They were lovely cats. I wonder who those noisy guys were. They seemed like a rowdy bunch to me but, meh. Guess I shouldn't worry about it right now. I've got time to relax.

(She slowly closes her eyes as she falls asleep in the sun. And like that, you've lost her.)

**Brooks POV**

"We've finally landed! It's about time! The smell of adventure was driving me nuts. The music was amazing though you guys. Let's go and explore a bit!" I shouted. A small group of my crewman followed behind me as I pointed in the direction of the, what I thought looked like bamboo, forest with my cane. As we routed through the dense foliage, the hot weather was making us all sweat and many of the men had taken off their shirts before we had even landed here. Taking off my black long jacket and draping it over my can arm, I continued, unbuttoning my shirt and loosening my neck scarf to let some air through it. Ordering my men to spread out, I headed in my own direction. With this island uninhabited and no ship within visual range when we arrived, we should be ok for the moment.

As I exited the other side, a beach similar to the one we had landed on beheld me. With finer sand and...a girl? As I noticed her shoes on a nearby rock, I noticed she wasn't moving. Or at least not consciously. As her chest rose and fell, I also removed my socks and shoes, placing them next to her own. Leaving my jacket on the rock on top of my shoes, I walked out onto the warm sand, the fine grains tickling me feet. As I walked out of the shade and around to her side, I noticed she was asleep. Maybe she doesn't mind the sun to fall asleep in the middle of the day. Hmm. I should probably wake her up.

"Excuse me" I said quietly, still at her side.

"Miss" I said a little louder. No response.

Moving around to her head, I knelt on my knees, getting my head closer, making sure to keep my afro out of the way.

Looking right into her closed eyes "Hello. Please wake up. Ohayo Gozaimasu!". As her eyes began to open, she saw me for a second, trying to focus with hazy eyes, rubbing them to get the sleep out.

**Rebecca's POV**

Finally realising that the person above me was not someone I knew...

"AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" I yelled, accidentally rushing to sit up, smashing heads with the afro headed man as I did so, knocking him out. "Well, shit!" I shouted in pain, standing up as I held my throbbing forehead. "That friggin' hurt, god dammit. Jeez. I was trying to sleep you shazbat! The fuck?"

Looking around I saw he was the only one here, though I could hear voices in the distance, getting louder by the second. As I saw his coat and shoes, looking back to him, I saw a cane. Huh? What would he need that...for? Wait. I know this cane. It's a long purple cane with a curve. Well dressed. Has an afro. HOLY FUCK! IT'S BROOK! No one else has an afro as big as that perverted mo-fucker. HOLY SHIT! Am I in the One Piece world right now? No. It can't be. But Brook's meant to be dead! Unless I was sent back to a time when the Rumbar Pirates were still alive? Is that even possible? Jeez! I am confused. I better go eat some cereal so I don't get confused.

"Hey! Who is that?" Someone shouted, as I looked up to see the source of the voice.

"Who cares? She knocked out Captain Brook! Get her!" another man shouted as they ran towards me.

"SHIT! BAIL! BAIL! BAIL!" I screamed in desperation, my legs going like sonic on crack. I'm the faster master. Hehe. "Eat it nerds!" I shouted behind me, tempting them further to catch me.

"You knocked out Captain Brook. You are so dead, biatch!" A burly man shouted from behind me.

"Arrrgh!" I shouted. As if shouting will do anything. Jeez. "I didn't do it on purpose. Jeez!"

After hours of running around the island, we passed the rock with my shoes, socks and jumper on. Wait. "I RAN AROUND THE ENTIRE ISLAND! DA FUUUUUUUUUUUQ?!" I shouted to myself, not looking where I was going. As Brook, who I had so nicely knocked out earlier through no fault of my own, had almost stood up and as I turned my head, WHUMP! I ran straight into the back of him. As we both landed in a heap, he looked up.

**Captain Brook's POV**

Twice in one day. This has got to be the closest I have ever been to a woman. But I haven't seen her panties. That's a bummer, for sure.

"Excuse me, miss?" I started.

"Um, sorry." She replied, hurriedly and a bit self aware at the situation she now found herself in.

"That's quite alright" I replied continuing "May I see your panties?"

"Eh?" She deadpanned.

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Ohayo Gozaimasu - Good Morning

CAPITALS - exaggerated shouting

faster master - pronounced feeeeeeeeeeeeeeester meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeester

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	10. A new life begins

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"Eh?" She deadpanned.

A long awkward silence passed between them, both staring at each other, neither continuing to talk. Eventually, someone broke the silence. In an also awkward way.

**Rebecca's POV**

Raising an eyebrow, I crossed my arms. Looking unimpressed, I half scowled at him, giving him that look that I give most people I hate. Well, he deserved it with that kind of question. Friggin' weirdo.

"Do you even pants bro?" I asked, not impressed nor surprised at the question he had asked.

"Ummm. Ok." He said, a little confused at my response. He continued "I think we got off a little on the wrong foot. I do apologise for surprising you like that. My name is Brook."

As he reached out one of his skinny hands for me to shake, I hesitated a moment, unsure of this man who had been so close when he had woke me up, yet I knew so well as my favourite character in One Piece. But he doesn't need to know where I came from just yet. Well, it can't hurt, right? Ah. What the hell.

"Name's Rebecca. Nice to meet you." I replied, unfolding my arms and putting on a more welcoming face, taking the hand he offered me.

"By the way, what is your head made of?" He asked. Continuing "It made quite a bang when you hit me, almost like a rock. Yohohoho" He really did have no shame or manners at all.

"It's made of flesh and bone just like any other normal person. Mind you, I wouldn't exactly call myself normal compared to many others. I just like having fun." I smirked. Happy at the fact I wasn't alone anymore on this island. It was actually more than I was hoping for, knowing my luck in the past.

"In that case, how would you like to join my crew? Yoho." He asked. The question coming right out of the blue.

I froze. "Wha?!" I let out the sound in surprise. It was all a bit sudden. He'd only just met me! Jeez! I knocked him out with my head for frigs sake. "Ummmm, do you have some kind of concussion from when I hit you? Or are you just straight forward as well as funny?" I asked, mildly amused by him.

"Probably both. Yohohoho!" He replied, letting out a joyful laugh. Continuing "How 'bout it? Will you join my crew? I think you'll like it very much."

"Will you give me a few moments?" I asked, unsure myself if I should join them. The Rumbar Pirates were a musically talented crew if my memory of his crew serves correctly. Perhaps joining them might not be a bad idea. I need to think this over more.

"Take all the time you need." Brook replied, sitting down a few moments later. Looking out at the sea, he seemingly produced a violin out of nowhere and beginning to play a quiet little tune, almost sounded like he was using the waves washing up on the shore as a tempo. As he played, I thought. The music helping me to think, I pondered his offer. Should I take his offer and sail the seas under his banner as one of the Rumbar Pirates? Or should I decline and find some other way off this deserted island.

...

After a few hours had passed, I found myself staring out at the sea, thinking over the pros and cons of joining Brooks crew. I knew I couldn't just stay here on an island without people, it would drive me insane. With no sound but the sea and only the strange looking bamboo-like trees to survive on. I wasn't even sure they were edible. Guess I didn't really have a choice in this matter. Bummer.

As Brook began to play his violin again, I stopped thinking. All that time I had tuned it out whilst I was thinking about where I would go from here. His playing was beautiful and the notes seemed to tug at my heartstrings. Weird. I never really liked single instrument music, it was never really my style. But his music seemed to make my mind up for me.

Standing up, I decided. "I'll join you" His melody stopped, his bow stopping mid note on the strings of his violin.

**Captain Brook's POV**

I stopped at the answer she had given. It surprised me greatly and it was unexpected since we had only just been acquainted. Usually I would finish the tune or continue whilst talking, but this woman. Most would have at least caused some physical harm by now but she was different. Though the circumstances weren't exactly steady.

"Very well. Welcome to my crew. As of now you are one of the Rumbar Pirates. Yohohoho! I think a party is in order, men!" I said leaping for joy, turning to the crewmen who I guessed had been chasing her earlier whilst I was out of it. As they cheered, I looked back at her. She was looking out to the sea, her hands in her pockets and a thoughtful look on her face, her feet twitching in the sand.

Walking up to her as she stood looking out a short distance away, I must have interrupted her mid-thought as she turned to me with a lost look in her eyes. Smiling at her, I gestured for her to follow. As she grabbed her belongings, I followed suit, grabbing my shoes and jacket and lead the way up the beach to where the ship was docked. After almost an hour of walking, we reached home. The figurehead was a welcoming site. Turning to our crew member, she didn't look all that impressed. Something seemed wrong. She hadn't said a word since we had introduced ourselves to each other and her agreeing to join the crew.

As we began boarding the ship, I had to interrupt her thoughts again, her face this time, one of melancholy. Walking up to her, I asked "Is something wrong, Rebecca? You can tell me if something is troubling you."

**Rebecca's POV**

(_thinking_) I had been thinking of how I had gotten here for a short while on the way to the place I would be calling home from now on. Was it just me who had landed here? Would I have to spend my time here alone? Had there been no others who had landed here with me from my world? (_sighs_) I felt so uneasy here an without my friends from the world I came from, I felt empty. Am I to live here without the people I knew back in my world anymore?!

I had kept Brook waiting a few moments as he had now checked on me twice, I answered "There is something, but it's nothing to concern yourself with. It can wait for now, I'll tell you some other time." I felt a little guilty keeping my true origin secret from him, but what he doesn't know can't hurt him at this point. I'll tell him when I am ready.

"Are you coming?" Brook asked as he started climbing the rope ladder that his crewman on the ship had let down.

"Yes." I replied, half heartedly, taking small steps, my hands in my pockets, looking down at the sand on the beach. Looking up at the ship and taking one look back at the island I had landed on, I knew my life wouldn't be the same after this. Climbing the rope ladder, I vaulted myself onto the deck, half jumping off the top link of the ladder. It was big. Very big. Bigger than I thought it would be. I guess seeing it through a laptop screen doesn't really give you a full scale of an object. Who knows? Maybe Chopper is taller than I first made him out to be.

**Captain Brook's POV**

She stood looking out at the sea as the wind picked up, catching the sails as the crew unfurled them and stood near the figurehead. I had often found myself doing the same. Though I did wish to leave her standing there, there was fun to be had and music to play with much merriment. Turning to my crew as I stood at the front of the ship, the island getting slowly smaller behind us as we headed out to sea "Listen up men. We have a new crew member aboard with us." As I mentioned her presence, she turned to face the crewmen now stood about here and there, paying attention to me as I addressed them. "This is Rebecca, I want you to treat her nicely and make her welcome here. Tonight, I think we should throw a party to welcome her to the crew properly. So grab your instruments and let us make some merriment that none of us will soon forget! Yohohohoho!"

The crew cheered, all dashing about to rush and find their instruments, an excellent smell now coming from the kitchen. As the sun set, the cook brought out a massive amount of food, the men decided on the music to play and the party began with a bang, as a cannon shot sounded that was obligatory of all new members of the crew and a barrel of sake was opened to mark the occasion.

"You are now officially one of the Rumbar Pirates! Yohohoho!"

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Tempo - a rhythm by which a tune or a melody is played. Usually played anywhere from 2 to 4 beats per bar on sheet music

... - when a short period of time passes

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	11. Unfortunate Circumstances

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

(Four of our characters have landed in places not of their world. We now move to our next and final character who finds himself in a similar predicament, only he lands on a Marine infested base, landing himself in deep trouble)

**David's POV**

I woke up to someone dragging me. "Zzzzzzzzz...mm, wha? What the?!" Something hurt, and it was coming from my head. Soon enough I discovered I was being dragged by my hair by someone. Whoever it was, had a firm grip on my hair and head.

"Hey! Who's pulling my hair! Get off of me!" I shouted. I got no response from the mysterious person who was dragging me, only that I got thrown forward and pinned down immediately.

"I'm placing you under arrest for the assault of Hannyabal, the Assistant Warden of Impel Down. You will be escorted to the Wardens office for questioning and furthermore where further action will be determined." A firm voice shouted from behind me, slamming a heavy pair of handcuffs around my wrists as they restrained my arms behind my back.

"The hell?! I didn't even do anything! Umm..." I stopped struggling as I was hauled to my feet and spun around to face the person addressing me. As an angry looking man with a bruised face in a nemes, with a trident in one hand stood before me, two armed men stood by his side.

"You gave some nerve dropping in out of nowhere like that (_he winced in pain_) and landing on my face no less! I'll make sure you get punished even if I have to ask the Warden of Impel Down personally!" He shouted at me. Man he was pissed.

"Umm...did I do something to you?" I asked, slightly confused myself.

"Are you kidding me?! You landed on my face! You scrawny ass collided with me a few moments ago. Do you not recall?" The man was getting redder by the minute, you could almost mistake him for a beetroot soon.

"Umm...no. I was having a good nap. Did I do something wrong?" I asked, still confused.

"You just came in falling from the sky and YOU were SOUND ASLEEP! You landed on my face and then proceeded to wake up and be a total jerk!" The strange pot-bellied man in the nemes shouted.

"Umm..." Still confused as ever, I decided to roll with it. "Ok." I said, turning to the doors that led to the underwater prison. "Let's get this over with."

"Tsch! Baka!" the angry man sniggered, his pissed off-ness still showing in his face as he walked past me ordering the enormous doors to open as I was pushed forwards to walk in.

As I passed the enormous archway, I looked back at the sea. I had made a lucky landing. That pier was exceedingly small and had I landed short or long, both sides of it would have meant a wet dream for me. Hehe. I smiled to myself.

...

After walking around in this inferno of a prison for a while, I had sweat enough to make my shirt completely damp. As we finally reached a big iron door, the nemes guy knocked, the metal giving a hollow 'tang' sound as he did so.

A gruff sounding "Enter" came from the other side of the door. As the nemes-guy opened the door, he shoved my inside, almost tripping me up on the lip of the door. A large man, even larger than the pot bellied man, sat there in a black uniform behind a desk that was way too small for his size. As he stood up, he knocked over his desk. I had to stop myself from laughing but a small giggle made its way out of my mouth before I could hold it in. As he noticed my humility at the mildly humorous situation, he walked around his now toppled desk. Looking down at me from his high position, he scowled at me, his teeth showing and an expression similar to one that the pot-bellied man had made.

Raising a hand, he back handed my face, sending me flying into his office wall with his sheer power, leaving an impression of my body in the solid iron. As I fell out of the wall and hit my head on the floor "Ow! That hurt a lot you big purple dragon dildo! Go find another forked tongued sicko to fuck with! No wonder all the prisoners hate you! You're a smelly, rotten fleshed asshole who doesn't know his balls have dropped yet!"

He widened his eyes at me, the look on his face one of pure hatred."Oh shit!" I knew I was in big trouble.

"You assaulted my Assistant Warden and then you proceed to insult me! Do you even know where you are?! Ingrate! I'll make you regret those words!" He yelled, raising an arm. I thought he would hit me again, only this time, his arm began dripping. The drips were purple and soon enough, his whole arm was the same. This wasn't good. "I'll put you through pain so bad you'll beg me for death!" he yelled releasing his arm and spreading purple goo all over me. At first, there was no reaction but then pain rushed throughout my body like I was being stabbed all over my body.

**Magellan's POV**

This guy pissed me off. There were prisoners who had come before me with false courage, soon breaking after I sent them to sterilization and then assigning the level of torture that they would live the rest of their life in. But this guy. This guy was just plain arrogant! He deserved death on the spot. "Hannyabal! Take this sorry excuse of a man to Level 5! He can mourn his loss of limbs there as he slowly freezes to death or starves. My poison should kill you long before either of those happen. See how you do on the brink of death in Frozen Hell." I said, hauling hi up by the rim of his shirt looking directly into his eyes which were now pull of pain from the poison now entering his system. "Your name?" I ordered, still expecting him to have enough breathe to say his name.

"You...ite, can call, itetete, me...David." He struggled, my poison already affecting his respiratory systems.

"Enjoy your stay. David. It should be a short one for you." I smiled an evil grin, turning my back on him as marines came in with a carrier and transferred him to it for transport as I picked my desk up, returning it to its original position. I heard a small slam as Hannyabal left, closing the door and leaving me alone again. Some peace, finally.

**David's POV**

Everything hurt, I couldn't even feel my extremities anymore. Too much pain. What did he do to me? What was that purple liquid he put on me? Why did my body no longer respond to me?! As I felt I was being carried, time seemed to pass quickly, yet it felt like forever before I stopped moving. I felt a violent movement as I was tossed to the floor of a cell in Level 5. There are 5 levels, though there is a rumoured sixth below this one. The cell was filled with frozen people, or people near to freezing. They were shivering so much, I could barely make out their faces, though that was probably what that big guy had out in me doing that. It must have been poison for it to affect my body this bad, only toxins could do this much damage.

I couldn't move as they cuffed me to the wall, all the while avoiding the now purple patches on my skin. I didn't even have the strength to look up as they left. With me now open to the elements, not only was I unable to move, I was freezing to death without even being able to feel it. As my head drooped on its own as I couldn't control it, I saw the purple liquid slowly drip from my hair in tiny droplet, freezing on its way to the ground, a small pile of frozen droplets building up after a time on the metal floor of the cell.

I felt like dying. My body was weak and I could not move. Barely conscious, my outlook on this situation did not look good.

...

A long time had passed when I heard any more noises. The only sounds I heard were my cellmates shivered breathing as they struggled to remain warm. The floor vibrated, I could feel it with my knees. Everything was tender and the vibrations felt like distance footsteps. I moved my eyes up, seeing no one, closed them again. A sound caused me to open my eyes, a door. The sound of a metal door opening. I didn't have the strength to open my eyes anymore, my ears were strained. I heard the rattling of chains from beside me and I felt faint vibrations in my hands. Someone was releasing me.

"Who...is...that?" I asked, mustering the small amount of strength I had left, coughing a great deal between each word as I struggled to breath. As my other hand was released, I fell face down on the cold floor. I no longer felt any pain, so landing on the hard floor provided me no feeling at all. Feeling several hands around me, I attempted to move, not knowing if the people who had freed me were friends or foes, though my attempts were futile as all I could move were my wrists.

"Be still. You will need your strength. You are amongst friends now." I heard a voice whisper in my ear. I stopped, listening to the voice as I didn't really have any other choice. As they slowly leaned me back, I felt a thin fabric beneath me. A stretcher. As I was lifted, I heard the sound of the door that they had come through. By the sound, I could tell it was not the cell door I had come through. How had they gotten in here? And why were they helping me?

The sound of swift footsteps was all I heard for a while. That, and the sound of my heart. I focused on the footsteps as we came into a bright room. I still could not open my eyes, but the light shone through my eyelids, giving me some comfort instead of being in the dark. I was set down on a hard surface, similar to the metal and the voice came again, gentle and quiet, as my limbs were once again chained to a what I thought was a table on a slant.

"I hate to tell you this, but right now, you are on the brink of death, boy. However, I am here to help. I have a way to help you, but it does not come without risk. I need to know if you wish me to help you. This method is also painful and would mean you have to tolerate more pain from the poison that Magellan put in you. It will take a strong if not extraordinary will to overcome such pain and the worst case scenario is that you will die. You must be prepared for it or it will destroy you. "

I contemplated for a few moments, I wasn't prepared to die yet and I sure as hell wasn't going to let this poison defeat me. Taking the deepest breath I could muster, which much have seemed shallow, I mustered the last two words I think I could say "Do it."

"If you choose this treatment, it will shorten your life by ten years. Are you sure that you wish to continue, boy?"

I nodded.

Hearing a small unsheathing sound, I prepared myself mentally for the experience to follow. Waiting for a few seconds, the world seemed to go deafly quiet.

"EMPORIO CHIYUU HORMONE!"

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

zzz...-sleeping and waking up shortly after

Umm...-a nervous tick he tends to put on the ends of his sentences most of the time

Nemes - A striped head cloth worn by Egyptian pharaohs in ancient Egypt

CAPITALS - Exaggerated shouting

Baka - translated from Japanese to idiot

...-short time passes

ite - Usually a noise made when someone is in pain

Emporio Chiyuu Hormone - Emporio Healing Hormones

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	12. Back from the brink

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"EMPORIO CHIYUU HORMONE!"

I felt a stabbing pain in both sides of my body, 5 each side, 1 for each finger I guessed. For a second, nothing happened, but then, I felt a surge of pain. It was like I was getting poisoned all over again. Excruciating. It felt excruciating. It was unbearable, how could anyone stand this much pain?! As I began to feel my life slip away, I saw something. A memory. I knew where this was. This was my room, back home. I'd know it anywhere, what with all these tools on my floor. As I watched on, I saw myself, sitting in front of my two monitors. I was laughing, smiling and I was talking to friends. We were all laughing. Laughing together. I heard nothing of what they were saying only that we were happy. Together, we had fun. Together, we lived life to the fullest.

I have to fight to see those days again. I have to believe that I will see them all again! My nakama!

...

**Emporio Invankov's POV**

It had been 24 hours now. The constant screaming I had heard up until now was still going. It wasn't going to end this soon. The shortest time that I estimate that someone can recover from this amount of poison would be at least 2 days.

His screams, although he was a man, were hard and long, occasionally pushed out so hard that the pitch would heighten. The pain he must have gone through even before I gave him my help must have been enough to drive him insane. He had squirmed after I had injected him with my hormones but since then had not writhed in pain like I was expecting. Just who was this kid that could tolerate so much pain and vent it out through screaming alone?

Then, the screaming stopped. An eerie silence ensued.

I gasped in surprise. If my treatment had succeeded, he should have been screaming in pain for another day! Had it failed? Had this boy I had tried to save died before the hormones could fully take effect? I had to check. Rushing to the huge padlocked door that led to the room I had put him in, I rushed to unlock them. As the final chain fell away from the door, I pulled it open as fast as I could, ready to rush in. But as I opened the door. What I saw was not what I had expected. When I opened the door, the boy I had chained down, was still where I had left him. He was breathing. It was shallow to begin with but with each breath, they became longer. He was getting stronger. It was impossible. He should have been experiencing enough pain to be screaming for another 24 hours!

I walked to the table, looking on in surprise at the boy. Unchaining one of his wrists from the rock we had chained him to, I felt for his pulse. When I had brought him in, he was so weak he could barely breathe and I had felt no pulse. He was on the brink of death then. I felt a strong pulse beneath my fingers, he was alive. Not only that, he had recovered in a shorter time than I had predicted.

Taking the remainder of the chains off of him, he opened his eyes. He looked off into space for a few moments, eventually turning his head towards me, staring at me with a gentle but strong gaze.

**David's POV**

I opened my eyes, staring off into space, hardly believing I was alive. Hearing breathing next to me, a strange looking 'man' with a big head stared back at me, the look on his face one of surprise.

Looking at him for a few moments, I found I could talk again, saying two words to him "Thank you."

I looked around the room. It wasn't light like I first thought, only that the center of the room was lit up with lights perched on the walls, their light enhanced by their numbers.

"No problem. Ah! I don't think we were introduced before, Koeda-chan." He replied, waving away the surprised air about him away like it was never there to begin with.

"Koeda...chan?" I asked, slowly, still getting my strength back, my legs still a little jittery.

"Well, I didn't know your name before I injected you, but you were so skinny, I didn't think your body would be physically able to handle the healing process after I injected you with my healing hormones. You're skinny enough to be mistaken for a tree branch or even a twig so I decided to call Koeda-chan until I knew your real name." He smiled a wide innocent smile, his face showing that he had done something right and done it well.

"Umm...my name is David." I replied, not that surprised at the way he was talking to me.

"Good to meet you, David-boy. I am Emporio Ivankov, Ruler of Kamabakka Kingdom and NEW KAMA LAND!" he exclaimed the last part of his sentence, doing a weird little dance to accompany it. If what he said wasn't already bad sounding enough.

"Umm...ok" I said getting down from what I had been strapped to, which was similar to a table, but on a slant and made of stone. No wonder it had felt so hard to me when I was first put on it. "Where am I?" I asked curious as to my surroundings as the last place I was able to see was the inside of a frozen cell.

"Ah! You're in a small space between levels 5 and 6, a maze of tunnels undiscovered by the guards. It's how we live without bars and boundaries here. Had I not saved you earlier, you would have been a goner." He replied.

Wavering on my now stable legs, 'he' caught me. Supporting my upper body with his big arms, he picked up my legs and began carrying me bridal style.

"Umm...hey. Hey!" What are you doing?!" I asked in surprise.

"You're not able to fully walk yet, let alone do anything else on your own. I'll take you to New Kama Land where you'll be able to eat and drink as much as you need, David-boy." He replied, adding a wink.

I grimaced, flushing in embarrassment. This just wasn't right to me. My face was a picture and a half as I grimaced all the way to what I guessed was the main hall of the complex of tunnels.

Many people were there looking at me and Ivankov as I entered and clapped in earnest of me succeeding in pulling through Ivankov's hormone treatment. He took me to what looked like a poorly put together bar, setting me down gently on a bar stool, ordering me an orange juice. I didn't feel like drinking much, but being polite, I took the juice and downed it in one long drink. I soon regretted it. Feeling that ever so nasty sensation in the pit of my stomach and then the oh so uncomfortable muscle spasm in my throat, I managed to muster two words "Umm...sorry." A mixture of orange, green and purple went all over the floor, covering my trousers in the process and dying them an unrecognisable colour.

"Are you alright?" the barman asked, as I held on to the side of his bar. Bent over and breathing heavy now, I thought it best not to drink anything for a while and steering clear of food too might prove beneficial as well. I got up, looking at myself. I looked a right state. Nodding to the barman that I was ok, I turned to Ivankov. Now catching my breath, I moved my lips to shape words. "Umm...got any clothes?

"Oh my. The poison must still be making your stomach uneasy. Here." He said, taking a pile of clothes from someone as they entered the room with a change of clothes, handing them to me. The shirt was baggy on me, like most clothes, but I was thankful for it rather than walking around topless. In my world I had worn trousers that were the smallest in men's sizes, yet they were still baggy. Ah, well. Clean clothes are always better than no clothes at all in a cool room like this one. I had no room to complain to my saviour anyway.

"Umm...this may seem like an out of the blue question, but where am I?" I asked, realising what I said may have sounded completely insane. How does one end up in a place with many floors without even knowing where they are in the first place?

"Eh? Bahahahahahaha!" Ivankov broke into a bout of uncontrollable laughter. I felt so stupid asking that question now, but it was the only way to find out where I was. "Oh, you're serious. Hehehe." Ivankov said through random chuckles, continuing "You are in Impel Down, David-boy. The biggest and most secure prison in the world. Or at least it's supposed to be, look at where we are. Yeehaw!"

(_thinking whilst deadpanning_) Well, that's me screwed. I didn't even know this was a prison until just now.

"So, what are you in here for, David-boy?" He asked, a look of mild curiosity covering his face.

I might as well indulge how I got here since there wasn't much to tell. I recalled all the events up to when Ivankov had found me, including my unlucky landing on the guy with the nemes, who turned out to be called Hannyabal, to how I had pissed off Magellan big time. As Ivankov laughed deeply at my unfortunate circumstances, I couldn't help but wallow in self-pity, deadpanning yet again. I didn't regret insulting that giant dick of a Warden. What sane prisoner would listen to him anyways? Guess his powers to use poison were the reason he was assigned that role.

After he stopped laughing "Well you certainly had an unfortunate circumstance getting in here indeed. Yeehaw! Guess you're stuck here for a while."

"Umm...yeah." I replied, guess he was correct. I might as well get used to it.

Grinning widely, he finished "Yeehaw! You can hang with us then! Welcome to NEW KAMA LAND! David-boy!"

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Nakama - Usually used mainly in animes, this word translates from Japanse to friends, crew, allies or gang. In this context, nakama means friends but in the One Piece universe, this term is more often used to define a friend who is considered more like family.

...- When a period of time passes

'man' - Ivankov has the ability to change his gender and stimulate the healing processes in the body using his Horm-Horm powers which he obtained after eating a devil fruit, allowing him to use hormones to alter human physiology.

Koeda - Japanese word for twig

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	13. Naked Tigress

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

(_Timi, Rebecca, Rachael, Tim and David have all found themselves in unfortunate circumstances. Each one experiencing different hardships that they must overcome alone._)

_Meanwhile, back on Gurīn island..._

"So...what makes you so special that the village elder sent you to me?" asked who I assumed was Haru.

Looking down at the floor, I had no idea why they had sent me here. I hardly felt special at all. "I...don't know." I said nervously.

"Hmm. Stand up." She ordered me. I hesitated, but did it anyway. She continued "turn around" I turned a full 360, slowly as I felt weird doing so. What was she up to? Coming full circle to face her again, she frowned, her hand on her chin, thinking. After a few moments, she got up, slowly but surely. "What's your name?" she asked. Gesturing for me to follow, she walked further into the core of the house, down a few narrow corridors. "Timi." I replied, reaching what looked like an indoor tatami floored training room. She asked me to sit again. Doing so, she walked to one of the surfaces, picking up a piece of fabric.

As she stood before me "Do you mind? I must tie this around your eyes. What I do next requires you not to see." she asked. Taking off my glasses, she walked behind me, tying the white piece of fabric around my eyes, my whole world going dark. I felt uneasy, as some people do. The dark hadn't fazed me until not too long ago before I came here, now it just made me feel afraid.

"Stand." she continued to order me. It was beginning to annoy me now. She continued "I am going to proceed to hit you with a bokken and you must do your best to defend against me, as well as go on the offensive." I was surprised. This woman who was heavily pregnant wanted me to go on the offensive against her? Was she insane?!

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, unsure of hitting a pregnant woman, hesitant of doing such a thing.

"Do not underestimate me. Just because I am pregnant, doesn't mean I am helpless. Now, en guarde." She said, discontent at how she thought she had been dubbed so.

Feeling uneasy, I moved to the right. Had I dodged. Feeling several more feelings in my gut, that I was sure was not indigestion, I moved left, then stepping forward and pivoting around, attempting a punch.

**Haru's POV**

(_thinking_) She was good. She had dodged all the strikes I had aimed at her. Swinging the bokken towards her head, she ducked and as I turned, she attempted a punch, narrowly missing my face, I went for a back strike. She floored. Immediately letting her hands and legs catch her in a pressup position before she hit the floor. She was slowly getting better. I have to be careful not to let my magic flow out. Dodging my techniques, an unexpected kick came out of nowhere, landing a powerful blow to my face. I was off guard. As her kick landed, we both flew apart, both hitting either side of the rooms walls. My magic had flown out, damn this pregnancy. It had made controlling my magic much harder. As I got up, I looked at her.

Crap.

What I saw was not a human anymore. A golden tiger stood there on two legs, wearing the same clothes as the girl I had seen before me a few moments ago. I had not suppressed my magic enough. An animal curse had come out. This wasn't good. She won't know how to control her instincts in this form.

She went down onto all fours. She had already been lost in her animal behaviours and she wouldn't even know she's changed yet. Bending around, she tore off her jeans and underwear, squirming out of her top and biting off her bra, the blindfold coming off in the process. Getting down on her haunches, she readied to pounce. Throwing away my bokken, I used my magic to summon a katana, assuming a fighting stance. As she pounced at me, my own instincts took over. I rushed past her quicker than she had time to cross even half of the room, cutting straight through her shoulder.

As the golden tiger roared in upset, she changed back into her human form, screaming in pain. She collapsed, naked, as blood flowed out of her deep wound. "That was slow. You were lucky I didn't cut your arm off." I said to her unconscious body. " Ōkami. Would you mind?" I shouted.

A wolf came waltzing through the door, looking at the nude woman on the floor. "Need me to fix her up?" He asked, partially transforming into a man, his lower half still showing his tail and skinny legs.

"Please." I said turning away, looking at the damage on the wall. "I will replace the matting and the door"

"Right." He replied. Picking up the unconscious woman and hurrying out of the room to treat her wound

**Ōkami's POV**

(_thinking_) I have to act swiftly to close her wound before she loses too much blood. She didn't have to go overboard but she did say that now she was pregnant that her powers would be harder to control. Still doesn't help the fact she put an animal curse on her.

Laying her down on the treatment bed, I got the first aid kit and the more urgent surgical needle and I began disinfecting the wound, treating it with the utmost care. As I inserted the needle into her shoulder, she grimaced, but remained unconscious. I made the stitches small, the scar itself was extremely precise and the edges of the wound were smooth. It would definitely scar, and it would be very noticeable even after it's healed. Finishing my work, I cleaned the wound again, leaving to find clothes. When I came back, I found a tail hanging over the beg. It was a tigers tail, though it had a slight golden tinge to it. So she was a golden tiger, huh? Better than mine, but I deserved it, trying to push my luck with a witch was not my best move.

Picking her up, I placed her on a clean bed in the corner of the room. Pulling a blanket over her unconscious body, I left her the clean clothes on the floor, closing the door and returning to the other room to retrieve her old clothes. The trousers should be easily mend able and the other clothes had no damage except for the bra, which was unusable now due to the front being bitten apart. After fixing her trousers so it looked like they only had a few rips in them, a stylish trend in some places, but hey, she may not like it. I think it's nice. I'll leave her to sleep now, she'll need it.

...

**Timi's POV**

As I opened my eyes, I looked around. I tried to sit up, but then felt a throbbing pain in my shoulder and thought against it. Looking over at my right shoulder, it was all bandaged up. The fuck? How did that happen? And why don't I remember anything about how I got it. Getting myself upright by using the wall and my good arm, I sat for a moment, gaining my breath as I held my head. The feeling of light-headedness was not welcoming nor was it particularly fun to experience. Looking down, I found myself stark naked. How'd that happen? I was confused as fuck. I sensed something in the corner of my eye. A wolf? It lay there, it's head turned the other way.

"So, you're finally awake?" it asked. HOLY FUCK?! My face went to one of sheer surprise, jaw hung wide. I knew Jabra in CP9 could talk but he had eaten a devil fruit and had been defeated by the Straw Hats. I wonder if that had happened here yet.

"Yes. Um, can you stay facing that way whilst I put my clothes on?" I asked, partially embarrassed and hoping he wasn't the perverted type.

"Sure. But I've already seen you naked. I had to carry you in here to treat that wound of yours." He replied. I flushed pink with embarrassment.

"Eh?" I looked around for it, not finding it anywhere.

"What is it?" The wolf asked.

"My bra's missing." I said, still embarrassed as fuck at the fact a man had seen me naked other than my boyfriend back home.

"Yeah, we had to toss it. It was broken beyond repair. Just wear a top for now, Haru doesn't wear one either so I won't stare." He replied.

Looking at the clothes he had provided, I put my trousers back on. The constant dye of black ripped open in places. What had happened whilst I was blacked out? Shoving my shirt back on, I regretted such a violent action as a sudden jolt of pain rushed up my arm, causing me to fall back on the bed. The wolf must have heard as he rushed over to check I was alright as a small red stain began appearing on my bandages. "Don't push yourself, you have a deep wound on your shoulder." he said, jumping on the bed and putting his front paws on my back to see the damage.

As I got up, he asked "Where are you going?" a worried look on his face.

"Nowhere. I'm just going for a walk. I need to clear my head." I replied.

"I'll go with you then, you lost a lot a fair amount of blood so I wouldn't be surprised if you collapse again." He said, now walking alongside me like a dog. How annoyingly persistent of him.

Reaching the door, we were stopped by Haru. "Where do you think you're going? It's late, you should sleep." She said, unimpressed by my behaviour. Well, fuck her.

"I'm going for a walk, I need to clear my head." I replied. She looked down at the wolf at my feet, returning her gaze to me, continuing "Ok. But don't go near the village. Take the western path, it will lead you back here without entering the village."

"Ok." I simply replied. I twisted the door knob, letting the wolf out before me and closing it behind me.

"Wolf, do you have a name?" I asked as I began walking, not looking at the wolf at all.

"Ōkami" He replied. Well he was straightforward.

"Cool name. Are you able to tell me how I got this?" I asked, tilting my head towards my wound as a gesture.

"You attempted to kill Haru." He replied

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Tatami - Traditional Japanese material used for flooring

Bokken - Wooden sword used for training in kendo (the way of the sword)

Katana - Traditional Japanese sword weapon used mainly in conflicts in the warring eras of Japan. Still used today by people who practise and master kendo.

Ōkami -Japanese word that translates as wolf.

...-short period of time passes

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	14. Violations of dignity

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"You attempted to kill Haru."

I stopped walking. Turning to Ōkami, looking him dead in the eye.

"How? I don't even remember what happened after I hit something with my foot. Was that Haru?" I asked, curious as to whether I had hit her.

"Yes. And afterwards was not a pretty fight. With her being pregnant, she has less control over her magic now and she accidentally put an animal curse on you when you hit her." He replied.

I stared at the ground. An animal curse? I had to know more. "So, what happened after I hit her?" I asked, quizzing him now.

"You were turned into a golden tiger. Soon after you transformed, you lost control, giving in to animal instinct and attempted to attack Haru. Soon after that, she cut you through your shoulder. That's how you got your injury. By that point you had torn off all your clothes in your tiger form and when you transformed back, you were naked, hence why you woke up so." He replied. Now everything made a bit more sense. So I had the ability to transform. Neat. He continued "Don't think of this as an ability that you can use at will right off the bat. You must overcome your animal instincts first before you are capable of that. Some will even heighten your human senses" Well that was a bummer, I thought, pouting.

I continued to walk. With Ōkami next to me, I felt a little better, even though I hadn't known him long. I had no recollection of anything that had happened after I had hit her. Guess I know why now.

"I will teach you how to control the shift to animal form, anything after that is your business." He said, continuing "Would you like to try shifting now?" I thought his question over for a few moments.

"Is it safe?" I asked.

"By all means, no. It could turn out badly but we can't know unless we try right?" He replied. A wolfish grin was unbecoming of him, what with all the pointed teeth. Reaching a clearing, he took the lead by a good few meters. Turning around he told me to stop, continuing "This will do. Now, we need to find your trigger." I was confused.

"My trigger?" I asked.

"Yes. For any person who is given this ability from Haru, not one persons trigger has been the same as another's for the full transformation. We need to find out what makes you transform." He explained. I was still confused but I trusted him for the time being. Strange, you'd stereotypically think of wolf as representing devious actions. Guess he was different.

He rushed me. Running as fast as he could, he bit into my other shoulder. "Ite!" I screamed out in pain. Grabbing his snout to attempt to pry his jaws open, I found my efforts to be futile. Punching and jabbing him desperately in many places on his body, he finally let go, only to leap up again and bite deep into my left arm. Was this guy trying to completely incapacitate me? Bashing him constantly wasn't working and I was beginning to worry. The pain was getting worse with every attack. That was it. I had finally had enough of this. I didn't mind this guy who had treated my wound and seen me naked but he just wouldn't stop. Losing my patience, I got really angry with him. I felt something change. I started to feel strange and the ground got a lot closer to me. Then everything went black.

**Ōkami's POV**

She changed. And a lot quicker thought it would take originally. She had seemed like a patient girl up until now. What had been her trigger? Never mind that. I have a pissed off tiger staring me down right now and my wolf form alone might not be enough to stop her this time and I may have to call for Haru.

She bent her body around, tearing off her jeans and underwear, squirming out of her top. So she wanted a fight did she? She rushed me, pouncing at the right moment and pinning me to the ground, her weight too for me to push back. Crap. Is this it? Is this the end for me? As she readied herself to bite my neck, I felt her weight shift sideways, seeing an elongated leg dug into her side. As she fell off of me, I saw the leg that had kicked her retract looking in the direction of the owner. It was a young boy. He was tall and wore a straw hat. Just who was he? I looked in the direction that the boy had sent Timi flying (Haru had told me her name earlier). She was crouching on all fours, her teeth bared and an angry look on her furry face. I got ready to fight her again but the boy from earlier walked up to me saying only two words "let me".

**Luffy's POV**

I cracked my knuckles. Whatever was going on, this tiger was picking on a wolf and that was an unfair fight. This should be fun. I grinned, itching for a good fight. The tiger rushed me and I ran to meet her. I readied my move.

"Gum Gum..." as she roared at me, jumping into the air.

"BAZOOKA!" I finished, landing both of my hands on her lower ribcage. She fell backwards in midair, landing with no foothold. She stumbled around around trying to retain her balance, growling at me but eventually collapsing at my feet.

"Sorry." I apologised, continuing "but you were picking on that wolf". I looked back at the wolf feeling proud of myself, grinning widely "You dpn't have to worry now, wolfy. I took care of it."

"Idiot!" The wolf screamed back at me.

"You can talk?!" I was surprised but continued "that's awesome!"

"Yes, you idiot! You just took out my student!" He said gesturing with his head for me to look around at who and what I had just defeated. What lay there wasn't a tiger but a naked woman.

"Ehhhhhh?!" I looked at the girl in surprise. "I'm sure I beat a tiger just now. Who's this?" I asked, confused.

"That is my student. You happened to knock her out just now and revert her transformation. I was training her to control her animal instincts and retain control of her tiger body whilst using her power. I thank you for knocking her off me when you did though. I didn't know if I was going to be able to beat her." he explained nodding in gratitude, continuing "would you be able to help me carry her back to the house? It's not far from here."

I contemplated it for a second. "Do you have any food? I am starving. I'll carry her there if you do, otherwise, nope." I was hungry, what else was I supposed to say?

The wolf face grounded. Sighing, he said "Yes, we have food. Shall we go then? She'll catch cold out here like that" He beckoned for me to follow

...

**Timi's POV**

I woke up in the same bed as I did last time, only this time I was covered in bandages. I stung all over. Guess I had done it again. This was so annoying and it was going to take time for me to heal and attempt to master it. I got up, once again finding myself naked. Perfect. Looking down, my clothes were lain on the floor, once again patched up after I had torn them off. Slipping on my top, underwear and trousers, which I then realised had been cleaned, I left the room, smelling the all so familiar smell of cooked food. My stomach growled loudly.

Haru looked around a door form ahead of me. "Ah. You're finally awake. Come and get something to eat. You need your strength." She told me. Yet again, she tells and not asks me to do stuff. It was getting on my nerves now.

"Fine." I replied, nonchalantly, still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I came to sit down at the table where I then saw a straw hat resting on the floor, somehow missing the fact that there was someone else in the room. Looking up, I saw a young man with jet black hair, stuffing his face with every dish at the table. I looked him up and down. It had to be him. There was no mistaking that hat. It was Luffy. Captain Monkey.D Luffy of the Straw Hat crew. HOLY SHIT! What was he doing here?

"Umm, hi." I said. He looked at me with a mouth full of food.

"Hey. You're awake then." He said, with food bits being spit everywhere. Flicking a piece off of my face I said "Yeah. The name's Timi by the way."

"That's nice. I'm Monkey.D Luffy. I'm gonna be King of the Pirates." he replied, still with a full mouth. I was barely able to make out what he said. I swiped a meat piece from the table before he had time to grab another.

"Oi! That's my meat." He said.

"Don't see your name on it anywhere." I replied taking a large bite out of it, pulling down my lower eyelid and poking my tongue out at him. He pouted. I chuckled to myself. I had annoyed him by taking his food. Well it just happened to be the closest thing to me. The meat fell right off the bone, melting in my mouth and making my eyes water with satisfaction.

**Luffy's POV**

She was weird. Her eyes were watering just from eating the meat Must have been really hungry. She managed to steal the smaller of the two meat plates on the table, looking at me with a glare that said "this is my meat. Come at me if ya wannit!" She downed all 6 pieces on the plate swiftly and hungrily. What kind of appetite did she have? Nami and Robin didn't eat much at all.

"You know, I've never eaten that much but I was really hungry just now. Wonder why?" A puzzled look crossed her face. The big bellied lady from earlier came back with more food and said interrupting our conversation "it's because of your new natural abilities. Although the curse I accidentally put on you allows you to transform into an animal, the transformation itself puts a large strain on the body and requires large amounts of energy to maintain it, which is why you felt hungry just now. Also, since you have a tiger curse on you, your taste buds have changed slightly and you may have found you prefer meatier or more protein rich foods now."

**Timi's POV**

Great. Hope that means I can still eat sweet foods. I'll be pissed if I can't. I looked back at the table. ALL THE PLATES WERE EMPTY! "Ehhhhhhhhh?!" I looked at the table in surprise and then sighed. "I had wanted more food though." Guess that will have to wait until later. Taking all the plates, Haru then suggested something "Luffy. Why don't you be her training partner?"

I sat there, jaw dropping to the floor.

"Sure." Luffy replied.

I interjected the conversation "Wait a fucking minute! If I train with this guy, that means he'll see me naked when I transform back. I don't want that! One man who isn't a boyfriend seeing me naked is one too many anyways!" I was pissed off that Haru had even suggested the idea, giving her the evils and pouting.

"I've seen you naked though." Luffy said, like it was nothing. I was going to kill him.

"WHAT?!"

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Ite - The sound one makes in Japanese when they are in pain.

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review!**


	15. Friend or Foe?

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

**Timi's POV**

"WHAT?!" I wanted to kill him so badly. My rage was growing.

"It's true. You were trying to take down that talking wolf and he was struggling so I helped him out." He replied, still not making a big deal out of this. I snapped.

"You think seeing me naked is a small thing! I'm gonna kill you!" Everything went black again.

**Haru's POV**

Did this girl have no control over her own emotions?! This was the third time she had transformed in two days!

"Ōkami! Get in here!" I shouted, knowing that my magic might not be enough for her strength.

As Luffy got up with an inflated belly, stuffed full with all the food he had just consumed, he stretched his head back through the door to the room, grabbing Timi's shoulder, he shouted "Gum Gum..." What was he going to do?

"BELL!" He slammed his head into hers, knocking her out. At least this time she was still fully clothed, she hadn't torn them off like the last two times. She collapsed unconscious to the floor, reverting to human form again. About an hour passed and she awoke again, holding her head, groaning.

"What happened?" she asked, grimacing and taking her time to sit up as her head throbbed.

"You changed again." Luffy said.

"Again? Man that makes it twice in a day. I still don't want you as a partner though. Knowing you've seen me naked once already is one too many times and I don't want you to see me naked again." She complained, pouting in complaint.

"If you're not going to train with Luffy, who is stronger than Ōkami -"

"Hey!" He interjected, discontent on his judgement of strength.

"Well you are. She pinned you down using only animal instincts. She hasn't even gained control of them yet. You're bad and you should feel bad." I said, silencing anything else he had to say. "If you won't train with Luffy, Ōkami cannot teach you. He's the only other person I have cursed by accident."

"And trusted." He added to her statement.

"Forget training. Oi! Timi. Join my crew." Luffy said outright, grinning widely.

**Timi's POV**

Was he offering for me to join him? This was unreal! He wanted me to be one of his nakama!

"Won't that be counterproductive though?" I asked. Having me around before I could fully control the animal curse would pose a serious danger to others around me.

"Eh, what?" Luffy was obviously confused. I had used big words. Crap. I had forgotten he was an absolute simpleton.

"What I mean is, if I joined your crew, wouldn't it pose more of a risk to you rather than help you?" I simplified it for him. I should get him a dunce cap, it would suit him.

"We'll figure something out." He finished. He really was oblivious to logic.

I face palmed. "I do need to train ya know! Who's gonna help me to control my new powers?!" I shouted, getting more annoyed the more he talked.

"I can show you the basics of controlling your powers. After that, it's up to you to practise and hone them to suit your transformations." Ōkami replied. Great. That made me feel loads better.

"It's settled then. You're now my nakama!" Luffy said cheerfully, grinning widely as he started laughing for no apparent reason. Lord help my sanity around him.

I sighed. "Fine. Let's get to mastering the basics. The sooner we get this done the better." I walked out of the room, heading for the front door. I put my hand on the handle for the front door. I put my hand on the handle but stopped, feeling warm breath on my leg. I looked down seeing Ōkami in his wolf form, still unimpressed and unhappy. I opened the door leaving room for Ōkami to come through and was closing it when something obstructed the door. I looked back, seeing Luffy in the doorway with a nonchalant expression on his face. "What do you want Monkey boy?" Was he following me?

"I'm bored. I was gonna watch you." He said. He really didn't know when to quit pestering me, much like Haru and Ōkami. I gave him an evil look but proceeded out of the door telling him to close it afterwards. We walked for a little while after that, coming to the same clearing as before. Luffy climbed one of the trees, sitting on a branch as he watched us get ready. I focused on Ōkami as he began to instruct me on what to do after I transformed to control my instincts.

"When you transform, there is what seems like a tug of war of wills between you and the animals instinctive will. In order for you to gain control, you have to win. This means fighting a battle within your conscious mind, however, it can take time and the more times that you transform before you master your animal instincts does bring you one step closer to winning that tug of war. I am going to teach you how to win that battle and master the full beast form."

"That means that I'll have to transform again right? You know what happened last time." I said back, still worried I wouldn't be able to do this.

"Yes. Need a hand?" He asked, getting ready to bite me again. Fuck no.

"Oi! Timi! Turn tiger already. This is boring." Luffy shouted from his point of observation. He just didn't know when to stop. Thinking of how annoyed he made me, I felt my vision blur and gradually fade to darkness. What awaited me was different from last time. A tiger sat there, teeth bared, ready to warn me away if I came too close. I took small steps towards it, each step echoing and seemingly heavy. As I took each step towards the tiger, it's snarl grew larger and it's growl became louder. Eventually, I found myself face to face with it, its face a pictures of pure hatred. At that moment, I was unsure of what to do. Just then, I heard Ōkami's voice.

"Timi. Timi! If you can hear me, you should be facing your animal right now." How did he..."I told you this was a battle of wills, a tug if war. You have to try and beat it."

"But how?" I called out. There was no answer. Guess I was on my own again. Time to put what little martial arts I knew to good use. I raised my hand, throwing a punch with it landing on the tigers nose. It snapped when I did that. It went to pin me down but I moved out of the way. Circling around, it pounced at me as I barely had time to see it coming as it successfully pinned me to the ground.

**Luffy's POV**

She wasn't moving. It's been a full hour since she had changed and she hadn't moved an inch. I'm insanely bored. I came along thinking I'd be able to watch another fight between a wolf and a tiger. I got up "I'm gonna go find Zoro and Usopp. It's boring here" I said to Ōkami.

"What?! But I may need your help again!" He shouted, surprised with my choice to leave after following them to come and watch.

I heard my name being called. I looked around from up on my tree. I couldn't see a thing, the plants and trees were too big and overgrown. As I found the area where the sound of my name was coming from, it was directly behind Timi, who was still in her tiger form. Nami came wondering out of the bushes.

"Oi! Nami! Up here!" I said waving, a huge grin on my face, adding "Where'd you go?"

"Luffy! Why did you run off like that? We didn't even think about what we were going to do on this island yet." Nami replied. She sounded angry.

"You better get up here quick unless you wanna be eaten by that tiger." I said, pointing to Timi.

"Wah?! Ok, I am coming up! If I'd known I was going to be climbing trees, I would have worn something different." She replied in a worried rush, scrambling up the tree.

"Hehehe. You won't believe this. That tiger down there is actually a human" I said.

"What?!" Nami shouted in shock.

"So's that wolf." I added.

"Now you're just making this crap up." Nami said her voice obvious with the sound of disbelief now.

"But it's true. She becomes naked when she transforms back." I replied.

Nami wacked me over the head, leaving a swollen lump on my head. "Why were you even looking?! And here I was thinking you didn't even know what a woman even was!"

"But Nami! It wasn't my fault! I mean I beat her up but she was gonna take down that wolf guy over there." I said as she continued by shaking me by the neck of my shirt violently.

"That's still no excuse to look at a woman naked without her consent you jackass!" Nami yelled at the top of her lungs. I still had no idea why this was a big deal. I mean, guys go half naked most of the time anyways, so what was the big deal about seeing a woman naked?

Just then, Timi moved. She was still in her tiger form, slowly edging closer towards Ōkami. I jumped down from the tree, landing between the two as they came within striking distance of each other. I looked into the tigers eyes. Full of fury. Cracking my knuckles, I asked "Are you Timi?"

The tiger stared back at me, pulling back its head and letting out a large, loud roar.

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Nakama - Usually used mainly in animes, this word translates from Japanese to friends, crew, allies or gang. In this context, nakama means friends but in the One Piece universe, this term is more often used to define a friend who is considered more like family.

Nami - The Strawhat crews temperamental navigator who has an over exaggerated fondness for money.

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review!**


	16. A change of pace

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

(We return now to Fubuki island, where Tim now finds himself in the company of Eustass Kid and his crew.

**Kid's POV**

(_jumping aboard his ship, he recalls his thoughts_) That bastard may have shown balls, but he'll need more than that on the sea.

(_thinking_) How did that bastard even get here? Surely he would have frozen to death before he reached the cave if he had made his way inland from the shore? Unless... Is it possible that he didn't come from the shore? That dick of a kid couldn't have just landed here...could he?

Looking up, I saw Polo arrive at the ship, followed by my crewmen carrying the long, lanky body of the boy behind him on a stretcher. I gestured for him to join me, keeping my voice low. "You better fix that asshole up quick. The first chance I get, I'm throwing him overboard."

Polo looked at me questioningly "Why do you insist on not wanting to help him, Kid?" he asked.

"Because, he's done jack shit for us. We don't know him. All we know is that jackass's name." I replied.

"And? He has severe frostbite. Not his fault if he cannot move. If he could, he'd most likely not come with us, given your way of welcoming. Besides, what else did you want me to do?" He looked at me, judgingly.

"I always hated that look of yours, Polo. You tick me off, asshole." I responded. He may be the ship's doctor, doesn't mean I should treat him much differently than the rest of the worthless chumps on this tub. Continuing "How long?" I needed to know how long it would take before I was rid of that bastard.

"I could say the same about your face, Kid." He replied. He knew how to tick me off big time, and yet he was the only one of my crew to push his luck with me. He's got balls, I'll give him that much. He continued "It will take at least another few days for him to regain full control of his legs. Until then he is bed-bound and cannot move."

"Fine, Might as well head out. As soon as all these bastards are aboard, set sail for the next shitty island"

I watched as the last of my men climbed aboard the ship. I got up from my seat near the figurehead of the ship breathing deeply so I could shout at the bunch of rowdy apes.

"Let's set sail you dickwads! Not spending any more time in this shithole of an island. Had fuck all on it. Hop to! Haven't got all day you lazy gits!"

"Yes Captain!" They shouted back, rushing up the rigging to untie the sail that was partially frozen in place, the oars coming out of the side of the boat to paddle us out of the harbour.

"You could at least be a little nicer to them, Kid. They have just spent half a month on this freezing fucking cold island. The least you could do is let cook warm them up a little." Polo noted.

I thought for a moment. "Once we're out of the harbour and out at sea, the winds will pick up and there won't be the need for them to paddle. Then I'll get the cook to make something up for them and we can have a bash. That ought to make them more than happy. Good enough for you?" I replied, lightly glaring at him, still partially annoyed at his kind nature towards his crewmates.

"Good enough." He replied, sounding not impressed but looking satisfied as he knew it was more than what Kid would usually give anyway. He walked away in the same direction that the crew had taken the boy, entering the interior of the ship. He really was an obnoxious bastard sometimes.

...

After half a day of rowing, we lost sight of the island and were finally out into the big blue sea of the Grand Line once again. The wind blew from behind, the sail full, making good headway in the strong breeze as the sun was setting in the distance. The smell of roasted meat on the bone along with various dishes wafted from the upper deck, my crewman bringing out plates full of delicious food from the kitchen. As they passed me, I grabbed a plate from a crewman, also quickly taking a pair of chopsticks from another man who passed as he walked behind the man I had taken the food from. The crew followed my example, stuffing their faces with whatever food they could lay their hands on, breaking open the booze and downing it heartily.

I looked around at the merriment. Enjoying the liveliness of the party, I leant against the railing of the ship, looking at the sun as it cast its golden glow across the sea as it met the horizon. The men had set several plates along it for me to eat, which I downed swiftly and with ease. I looked around as men began making suggestions of what they should do for fun.

"Hey, let's go bring that kid up on deck. Maybe we could poke some fun out of him." Suggested one man.

"Yea! Hey Polo! How 'bout it? Shall we bring up our little popsickle? Hahaha!"

Polo looked in my direction. Scowling at him, I was not impressed, but I nodded nonetheless. He retreated into the ship coming out moments later with the young boy on his back, holding up his legs. He set him down, wrapping him in a thick blanket that he had also brought out that he had been carrying in his mouth.

As he snuggled into the blanket, I looked at his face. Since moving out of the freezing climate, he had gained some colour but his face still looked like one of someone who was very sick. He took one look at the food, closing his eyes for a few minutes whilst everyone continued to party. I walked over to him. "Hey. This is meant to be a party fucknut. Have some fun." I said, looking at him with a half scowl.

"Well suck it! I ain't hungry!" He replied. Turning his nose up at the food. I looked at him for a few moments. Looking up at Polo, I nodded. Polo sat down, picking up a plate, shoving a large mouthful of soft rice into his mouth. He turned to Tim, getting closer to him and then all of a sudden, he smacked his lips to his, forcing the food into his mouth. Tim pulled away fast with as much strength as he could manage, coughing and spluttering.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Tim managed to shout before collapsing to the deck, winding himself in the process, his face a picture of embarrassment, surprise and anger.

I burst out laughing. I had known that Polo was gay ever since we had first sailed together and he had tried laying his moves on the more handsome of the crewman many times, but this circumstance was just too opportune for even him to have passed up on.

Tim continued "What the hell were you doing? I could have choked!". He still lay sprawled across the deck, unable to get up.

"Well at least we all know that you swallow now. Haha!" He said, winking in a mischievously ignorant way.

**Tim's POV**

(_thinking_) Holy fuck! What the hell did he do that for? I had control of my hands but my control of my upper body still isn't efficient enough yet. Was he trying to take advantage of that? What an asshole! I am freezing my ass off!

I lay there unable to get up, my body still not responding to me. I looked up at the sky for a few moments letting my mind wonder. How was it even possible that I am even here? Why did Eustass Kid save me? I knew of his name, I just couldn't put my finger on where I had heard it back in my world.

"Oi!" I heard someone shout towards me. I couldn't turn my head much so I moved my eyes in the direction of the voice, finding it to be red-head.

"What is it, Jalapeño head?" I asked jokingly, my body now set up right by one of his crew. His hair was that kind of red, alight like a flame.

He reacted a little to that as he stopped eating and walked towards, proceeding to smash the plate on my head and leaving me a little dizzy, grains of rice getting stuck in my hair. Not many though, he must have finished the plate beforehand. "Ow." I said, deadpanning at him, displeased as to the pain in my head now as well as the other parts of my body that I was beginning to feel again.

"Watch your tongue, squirt, or I'll cut it off. Got it?" He said looking at me dead in the eye, getting rather close to my face.

"R-right." I replied. He was one mean and creepy guy.

"Anyway, shit-for-dick, have you ever sailed before?" He asked me.

"Can't say I have. Why? You looking for recruits?" I asked.

"I might be. Not that I'd ask a scrawny thing like you to join me anytime soon. You've got no skills that could be of use to me" He replied.

I would soon prove him wrong.

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Fubuki - Translates as snowstorm in Japanese. The island Tim lands on is called this as it's weather is almost constantly a snow storm and it's weather very rarely changes.

Rowdy Apes - How Kid refers to his crew

Red-head - Tim's personal nickname for Eustass Kid

Jalapeño head - A bit of a bad pun. Though Kid has red hair, Jalapeño's are usually eaten green.

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review!**


	17. Unexpected arrows

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"Anyway, shit-for-dick, have you ever sailed before?"

"Can't say I have. Why? You looking for recruits?"

"I might be. Not that I'd ask a scrawny thing like you to join me anytime soon. You've got no skills that could be of use to me"

I would soon prove him wrong.

...

**Tim's POV**

A few days had passed since we had that party on deck. It seemed quiet now compared to the rowdy nature of a bash on a pirate ship. A storm had kicked up and had been going on for almost a day, rocking the ship and blowing the raging waters over the deck like it was driftwood on a violent river. I had puked several times, not able to keep anything down. The rough shaking of the ship had meant my stomach was uneasy and I was unable to stand upright without getting vertigo and gagging. Not that I was getting any thinner mind you, I was already skinny as hell. At least I wasn't aiming to please. Well, not just yet anyways. I had regained control of my legs, and my ability to walk had returned but I still used my arm to prop myself against the wall since my body hated me standing right.

I looked out onto the deck, the men running like rabbits everywhere, doing various jobs screamed to them by Polo and Kid over the sound of the raging waves. I would have been helping right about now but the last time I tried only ended with me getting in the way and almost falling overboard only to be saved by Polo, the gayest man I have ever met. The only gay guy I have ever met. Meh. Whatever. I'd better stay below deck.

Just as I was thinking that, one of the crewmen came running from behind me and, not stopping in time, forced me through the door onto the deck, soaking me from head to toe as a wave crashed into the ship. My clothes that had been given to me by a few of the crewmen stuck to my body, my hair glued to my head and in my eyes. I've been needing to get that cut at some point. As I lay out sprawled across the deck, my face crushed into the floorboards with the crewman responsible running off to somewhere on the deck to assist his fellow crew members, I got up slowly, getting my breath back from being soaked by the cold water.

Looking around, it was chaos everywhere. The men lost their footing and the Captain and Co-captain, whose name I had found out was Killer, were helping numerous people to their feet as the enormous waves were never ending, the lighting striking so often like it was rain. It was a wonder that the men could hear anything that they said at all. I as hauled to my feet by Kid, looking at me with a pissed off face and throwing me at the rigging.

"Tie up the sails, or we'll blow over! DO IT!" He yelled, I was barely able to make out what he said. Considering what happened last time, did he really trust me to do that? "NOW!" he added. I was up those ropes in a flash, having to hold on for dear life as I felt the forces of nature toss me about like a ragdoll. I got to the top, my stomach beginning to turn, I had better get this done quick. As the crewman next to me, who had accompanied me up the rigging, began telling me what to do as he did the same at the other side of the sail, I began pulling the rope up and taking the full weight of the sodden sail. I followed his actions mirroring them exactly, seeing Polo smiling at me in his happy-go-lucky way as I finished the job. I must have done something right for a change.

Climbing down from the rigging, I ran across the deck to Polo. "Well done, Tim! Now get down to the oar bay, we need a rhythm master to direct the paddlers. It's easy, all you have to do is call 1 and 2 in a good rhythm. Think you can do it?" He yelled over the sound of the storm.

"Aye!" I shouted, doing a fake salute with my hand as an act of humility, in a voice oh so similar to Happy from the Fairy Tail anime in our world. Have no idea why I did that. Meh. I rushed below deck to the base of the boat where the men were passing oars among themselves. Being so long, it took three to four men to use one oar, holy cow. I looked them all over, was I really the only one to do this job. I hardly felt like I should be doing this. Taking one last look behind me, my thoughts were mixed on Polo's choice of an authority figure below deck.

"Alright you lot. Let's get started. I'll call one and two. When I call one, push forward and lift the oars out of the water and on two, put those oars back in the water and row." I hated being the person to do this. Personally I would rather have been rowing had I any amount of muscle on these skinny arms. I got some weird looks, some of them unpleasant. No surprise there, I'm sure any one of them wanted my temporary position right now, given that it was usually Polo's job. As the men finished passing the oars to each other, they put them through the holes in the side of the hull, all sat in rows of three, their hands holding tightly to the oars.

I began to count.

...

It seemed like many hours had passed once the ship began sailing smoothly again. My stomach had emptied itself many times and I had asked one of the men who had been in a row of four whilst rowing to take over every so often since I wasn't able to breathe from all the bile and vomit coming out of me. I felt weak. All this chucking was annoying me now, damn stomach. Why couldn't it just keep food in it for a few hours. At this rate I am going to be just a pile of walking bones, at least more than I am anyway. I walked out onto the deck, my legs trembling from all the puking, my face felt unpleasant and I was pretty sure it was pale and unsightly. I walked to the side of the ship, leaning on the long beam lining the ship with both arms, my head flopping between them, my eyes focused on the now calm water below.

I wanted food, but I didn't feel like my stomach would keep it down. Maybe some water. I heard the sound of something hollow touch the wood of the boat. I looked up, seeing a glass of water. I looked up to see who had put it there. Seeing Polo turn his back and walk off, I quickly downed the water, the cool feeling as it went down my throat a welcoming one. A smile crossing my face as it made me feel better. Kid may have seemed like a bit of a dick sometimes, but at least his crewmates knew some kindness. Maybe Kid had shown me kindness by bringing me aboard, but he didn't seem like the type to show it obviously in front of others.

Guess it wasn't too bad out on the sea. Maybe the puking will stop after a while. Until then all I can hope for is calm sailing.

"Oi!" I heard someone shout. I couldn't tell where it was coming from and the voice sounded unfamiliar.

"Who's calling me?" I shouted, which on a boat full of men that I had been working with the last few days seemed a bit of a weird question to ask.

"I am." Someone shouted, as I heard a large thud hit the deck behind me, sending shivers up my spine from the force of the impact. It had to be someone who was big. I turned my head to see who it was, seeing a man who covered his face in a mask. It was Killer. I hadn't heard his voice over the sound of the storm which must have been why it seemed so unfamiliar to me. "So you're the newbie, huh? Wonder why he took you in, ya got no meat on yurr bones. Well, Kid's an unpredictable sod most of the time. If ya didn't know already, I am Killer." He offered a hand.

Taking it I gave him one of the famous one word responses "Tim."

"I hear you did a good job with the oarsmen below deck, even though you lost your food many times. Seems you have a knack for that sort of thing. Ever done that sorta thing before?" He asked, his voice gentle and patient yet firm and holding authority.

"Ummmm...yes?" I thought it was a simple enough job that anyone could do.

"Seems Polo has taken a liking to you. Better keep one eye open around him or you might find you end up on Pen Island." He said, with a something that sounded like a snigger. Did he just hold in a laugh? What an inconsiderate..."So, what do you know how to do? Can ya fight? Been asked by Kid to see if you're worthy of staying onboard." He interjected my thoughts.

"Ummm, I'm good at using a bow. You have one of those?" I had been learning in our world and my arrows had been meeting their mark more and more and getting closer to the bulls eye with every lesson. Maybe here it could be my weapon of choice? Hmmm, tempting.

"Um, what's that face for?" Killer asked, his voice sounding just a little confused.

"What face?" I asked seemingly innocently, the look of evil written all across my face.

"Anyway, there's a weapons store below deck. See what you can find in there. Every man aboard this ship has to defend himself. The sooner you have the means to, the better. " He meant business.

As I made my way below deck, I got lost in the endless maze of corridors. I had only made my way to the oar deck last time since it had been a straight climb down through the ship. Fuck. I was lost. I asked one of the crewman who seemed in a hurry, stopping him for only a moment and asking him hurriedly which direction the weapons deck was. I really should have asked Killer before running off downstairs to find a bow. The man pointed in the general direction of the weapons room, giving me a few directions and running off soon after. Ok then.

As I ran down the corridors in the general direction he had told me. I found the kitchen, the smell luring me to a door. I saw a fruit bowl, full of apples, bananas and various other fruits. In a smaller bowl next to the overfilled fruit bowl, there was a strange looking fruit sitting on its own. It looked interesting. My stomach growled loudly, looking around to see if anyone was around, I snuck into the kitchen, nabbing the strange looking fruit and running out again.

As I walked towards the direction that the man I had met earlier had said the weapons room was, I ate the fruit, my stomach would be happy to have something in it after the chucking I had been doing all day. It didn't taste very good. In fact, it tasted vile. What the hell was this thing?

Meh.

I finished the fruit, finding the room full of weapons. There were several bows, all hung on the walls neatly. I walked over to a rather long and slim looking bow, finished in a black lacquer. It was a nice longbow and it was expertly finished. Picking it up, I felt my hands up and down the sides, feeling it out. Bringing it to my left side, holding it with my right hand, I tested the durability of the string, pulling it back with my left. I was different from a vast majority in that I was left handed in everything I do.

The bow was perfect. It felt right. I had no need to look at the others, this one was the right one for me. Looking around for arrows, I saw two quivers leaning against the wall. Lifting the lids of both, I saw some nice arrows. One quiver held long wooden ones, durable when I bent one to test their strength. The other one held steel ones, pricy to make considering over half of the other weapons in the room were made of low quality steel alloy, most likely plundered from various other pirate crews. Picking up both quivers and slinging one over my head, tightening the strap, I held the other in my hand, the bow nestling nicely in my other hand. It felt good to hold a bow again.

I heard a commotion from outside the room. As I walked out, there was shouting coming from the kitchen. It was Kid, and he sounded pissed. Really pissed.

"WHO THE FUCK ATE THE DEVIL FRUIT?!"

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Hull - the main body of a ship or other vessel

Ya - a slack way of saying 'you'

Yurr - a slack way of saying 'your'

Alloy - A mixture of metals forged together. A low quality alloy can result in a weak structured weapon.

Lacquer - A clear or coloured wood finish that dries by solvent evaporation/curing process that produces a hard, durable finish which produces a sheen across the applied surface. It can be further polished as required.

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! I should stop writing this shiz at outrageous o'clock in the mornings. :/**


	18. Silent sickness

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

...

**Rachael's POV**

A feeling of uneasiness came over me. I saw blood, running in rivers, dead bodies everywhere. People crawling on the edge of death, reaching up at me before collapsing at my feet. I was scared. Scared for my life, the smell of smoke and blood rich in the air, I could barely breathe. The ground seemed to shake uncontrollably. I coughed, and coughed, and coughed. The air was stifling, the scene was a massacre for miles around. I went insane at the scene before me letting out a yell in my insanity.

I woke up yelling with a start, my eyes shooting wide open and a cold sweat covering my body as I writhed in agony. My ribs hurt. Why do my ribs hurt? I tried to look down, moving my head only slightly. Bad move. A huge shot of pain shot through my skull, almost rendering me unconscious yet again, my head pulling itself back into a lying position, sending a smaller pang of pain through it as it fell against the pillow. I could barely breath, my eyes barely open. I closed them again. Everything felt numb. I sat there just breathing, like I could do much else. I wasn't outside anymore, that much I could tell. The room felt chilly, the walls, I assumed, made of metal. I shivered. Something didn't feel right. I moved as little as I could and then realised I was completely naked other than my underwear.

Well shit.

Someone covered me in a thicker blanket. I sniffed but then realised I was wearing a mask over my mouth, feeding me oxygen. I felt a cloth dab across my face, wiping away the sweat that I wished to wipe away myself. Feeling warmer, I felt the realms of sleep calling me again. Afraid to fall asleep, I tried to remain awake, even though I was in pain. It was useless. I felt sleep consume me once again as I slipped once more into my dreams, and the inevitable nightmare that I knew was to follow.

**Law's POV**

She stirred in her sleep, seemingly restless from having a bad nightmare, to be groaning this much in discomfort, it has to be. I shook her shoulders gently, attempting to wake her, trying not to touch any of her broken ribs as she let out a loud yell that surprised me, making me let her go. She stopped. Awakening she opened her eyes barely, likely to be still weak from the blood loss she had suffered. She shivered. Having only that thin blanket on must be cold with no clothes. I grabbed the nearby thick blanket, throwing it over her, making sure she was covered from head to toe. I don't think she saw me but I think she tried to sniff out if someone was in this room. Smart, relying on her other senses.

I quietly ordered the crewman passing the door to bring me a bowl of lukewarm water and a cloth. He ran off, bringing me the bowl and cloth as I had ordered. I wiped her face, removing the sweat from it as she seemed quite uncomfortable with it there. She seemed to relax afterwards, as it seemed she was going back to sleep though she tried to hold onto consciousness. She failed in her attempts to stay awake, drifting back to sleep, her face one of worry and pain.

I left the room, leaving the door ajar so I could keep an eye on her to make sure nothing out of the blue happened. I was cautious in that nature, it was what came with being a doctor. Going to the food hall, I found myself hungry at the smell of the chefs handiwork. I went in, finding Bepo sitting at the table eating a whole fish to himself, a few members of the crew muttering to themselves, stopping as they noticed that I was there. Bepo stood out of politeness.

"Captain." He said, bowing slightly.

"I'm hungry. Get me something, Bepo." I said, not making eye contact as I sat at the table. He came back a moment later with a small bowl of rice topped with shredded beef and what smelt like hoi-sin sauce. I never ate much anyway, so this was enough. Picking up the chopsticks I downed the bowl of rice hurriedly as I usually did, handing the bowl to Bepo for him to take away again. Getting up from the table, I sat down by the door. My eyes closed.

I pondered over my thoughts. She had been wounded when I found her and an injury like that would have kept any normal person out cold for about 3 days. Yet she was able to regain even slight consciousness within half a day. Just who was this girl? I opened my eyes again, getting up and walking out of the food hall again as quickly and quietly as I had entered.

I walked along the corridor, pausing to listen in on the girl as she slept. She was wincing and moaning in her sleep again. I walked in, sitting in the chair next to the desk in the room. I sat there for half an hour, watching her as she continued to take the torture of her nightmare. I was being paranoid for no reason. Nightmares happen. I shouldn't be worried, I've done all I can possibly to for her right now. Leaving my nodachi by the bed, I left the infirmary, heading to my own room. As I closed the door, I couldn't help but think about what that girl was dreaming that was causing her so much pain. I was worrying too much. Lying back, I drifted into sleep.

...

**Rachael's POV**

I awoke again, this time being careful not to move my head too much. That scene, why did it haunt me? I felt cold sweat on my head again, opening my eyes, this time fully. Feeling so weak last time, I could barely breathe well and my eyes had felt heavy, like I really was at deaths door. I looked around, being careful of my head injury, turning it only a few degrees to get my measure of the room I was in. I began wiggling my fingers and toes, trying to get some feeling back into them. They all responded, thank a god if there is one. I pulled off the oxygen mask, taking breaths slowly, in and out, in and out. Everything responded as I wanted it to. I found my clothes lying on a nearby chair. Getting up, being careful not to disconnect the IV line that was feeding blood into my body, I attempted to walk around my room, using the wall to give my legs support. Suddenly, a series of beeps came from the machine behind me that was monitoring my heart rate, I must have disconnected something by accident. So much for staying quiet for a while.

What looked like a polar bear appeared in the doorway, seeing me standing with the blanket wrapped around myself. He quickly turned around again.

"Ah! Sorry!" He said, worriedly as if he had done something wrong. I said nothing. Walking up to him, I patted him on the shoulder, indicating for him to turn around. I didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. He turned around, seeing the heart monitor disconnected, he turned it off, removing the rest of the wires attached to it. He gave me what looked like a poncho, sliding it over my shoulders gently. This must be Bepo. The only person I know of who apologises for the smallest things and wears an orange jumpsuit that looks like a polar bear, has got to be him. The poncho covered my upper body, giving me some warmth.

"You shouldn't be walking, you need to rest, miss." Did he just call me miss? Well, I haven't told him my name so I'm gonna role with that. I walked past Bepo without saying a word, turning left as I ignored his advice to rest and went off on my own, like a boss. He followed me around for a while, until I was breathing rather hard. I had been walking for what seemed like only an hour. "Miss, are you ok?" Bepo asked. He was kind, uncommonly so. Nodding, I continued to walk, until I eventually reached what looked like a food hall. Pointing into the door and looking at Bepo questioningly, he nodded, signalling for me to enter. I took each step nervously as there were many other men in the room. I shied away from the men as they smiled as I entered. Bepo put his paws on my shoulders, nodding at me, he wanted me to trust him.

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, he helped me into a chair. My stomach growled loud enough, it sounded like a dog. Bepo, thinking ahead, ran off to the kitchen, returning with a bowl of soup and a piece of bread. Placing it in front of me, I nodded at him thankfully. He smiled, looking like a child who had done something right. I smiled back, returning the gratitude. Looking back at my soup, I picked up the bowl, putting it to my mouth and downing it with gusto. As I put the bowl back down, all the men in the room, including Bepo, looked at me in both confusion and surprise.

I deadpanned, munching on the bread as if nothing had happened just now. As I finished, one of the crewman asked "Would you like another bowl?" Another asking "How long were you on that island?". I nodded to another bowl of soup and lifted my hand showing 2 fingers, meaning 2 days, shaking my hand afterwards to indicate that I was approximating.

After downing another bowl of soup and another piece of bread, I leant my head against the wall, my eyes closed, trying to remember who's crew had Bepo on it. It was on the tip of my tongue, yet I just couldn't put my finger on it. Brushing it off, I knew I'd remember sooner or later. I opened my eyes, pointing to the IV line that was still feeding blood to me, looking questioningly at the people around me.

Someone walked up to me. Putting a light hand on ym shoulder he looked me in the eye gesturing to himself with his thumb "My name's Shachi by the way. That there is an IV line. You need to keep it in for at least the rest of the day until you have enough blood to function with efficiently." I made a very obvious frowny face. I hated having this thing in. It meant I couldn't put my top on, or my bra. Effectively making that poncho that Bepo gave me the only thing covering my upper half right now. -_- Perfect.

**Law's POV**

I awoke after the short amount of time that I slept, not that I slept well or long at all anyway. Fucking insomnia. Getting up sluggishly and slowly, I let my senses come to in their own time. As I let my hearing come back, I heard voices coming from the food hall. Grabbing my hat and placing it on my head gently, I walked out of my room, traversing the few hallways between where I slept and the food hall. Walking in, I saw Shachi, Penguin and Bepo, along with the young woman. So she was finally awake. I walked over to them, sitting down opposite to the girl, instinctively looking at the blood-bag to see how much was left in it. Seeing it still half full, I looked back at the girl, who was staring down at the floor, twiddling her toes.

"Miss?" I said, getting her attention. "Do you have a name?" I asked.

"Captain. Sorry." Bepo intervened my question to her.

"What is it Bepo?"

"I don't think she is capable of speaking. She hasn't said a word to us and has only used hand gestures, Captain." He replied.

"I see. In that case, I am Trafalgar L-" I was cut off. The girl had lowered her head quickly. Looking down, my foot was covered in a mixture of green and orange.

She had been sick all over my shoes. Perfect.

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Gonna - abbreviated from 'going to'

Gusto - enjoyment or vigor in doing something

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! Things are starting to get interesting with our characters. What will happen next? ;)**


	19. Pain, puke and a polar bear

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

**Law's POV**

She had been sick all over my shoes. Perfect.

Looking up, my face one of annoyance, I stood up, taking off my shoes and stepping out onto the cold sub floor. Luckily my jeans hadn't got anything on them. Wasn't expecting that to happen.

"Someone clean this up." I said, as patiently as I could, my voice probably sounding creepy right about now. As Bepo, Shachi and Penguin stood there, frozen in fear, I added "NOW!" and they left running to fetch cleaning supplies for the floor. I walked into the infirmary, grabbing my nodachi. Walking back in, the pool was leaving an arid stink in the air. Those were my best shoes and I was still in my waking up mood. That was it. I had lost my patience, or what little of it I had.

"Room!" I shouted, creating my operating space. "Shambles!" Using the same ability I had used to reach the top of the cliff before, I teleported the vomit back into her stomach, her face turning paler than it already was, the look on it one of someone who had just been winded.

**Rachael's POV**

The soup I had just thrown up I now found back in my stomach. I don't know how he did it, but I wish he hadn't coz now it feels like my stomach is burning. Holding my stomach, the bile and vomit felt like it was going to throw itself back up again. I fell to the floor, holding myself up with one arm, the other clutching my stomach, my body trembling in shock. I coughed a bit. That had really taken me by surprise. At least now I remember whose crew Bepo belongs to. Trafalgar Law. That arrogant, self-centred asshole. I'm gonna get him for that. Later. I don't have the strength right now. Controlling my breath, I fell back, sitting on the floor and taking as deep breaths as I could muster. After a few moments, my breathing slowed and I regained control.

The three who had gone off to find cleaning supplies rushed back into the room, seeing me on the floor and rushing over. "Are you ok?" Penguin asked, offering me a hand. I slapped the hand away. I was in no mood to accept help. Standing on my own, I grabbed the stand the IV line was attached to and, without a word, left the foodhall. As I entered my room, I heard footsteps behind me. So he wanted to talk some more. Lucky me. -_-

Sitting down on the bed, I waited for him to enter. Smelling him before I saw him, since my sense of smell is quite sensitive, he smelt a lot like blood. That and bodily fluids. He smelt a lot like a butcher to be honest and I hated that smell. Even if he is 'The Surgeon of Death', he still stinks. As he entered the room, I closed my eyes to listen to him, taking in every detail about him, gaining information about him through my senses alone.

"Just coz you're mute, doesn't mean I treat you any different from the men on this ship." He started. His voice was low and yet had some confidence and authority to it, seemingly the short patience type, given his history making just now. I opened my eyes, meeting his with my own. We both stared a long while at each other, just staying there, watching each other. His eyes were almost grey, and they held a lot of pain. They were eyes very similar to my own in that respect. So he was the strong and supportive type was he?

I sighed, pushing myself up the bed, sitting against the wall. I only just realised that my hair wasn't covering my face as usual. Bringing my right hand up, I felt around my head. I was shocked. Most of hair was gone, cut short by him most likely. Lowering my hand, I smirked.

"Huh? What are you grinning at?" He asked. I still didn't feel like talking to anyone on this sub yet. Save that little surprise for later ;) My smirk widened out into a grin. Thank god someone had found me, or I would have been a goner.

As he stood there leaning against the door frame, I wanted him to leave. Nope. He did exactly the opposite. Coming to stand right in front of me, he lifted a hand as if he was going to grab my head. Going survival mode here, I slapped his hand away and gave him a warning glare. "I have to see if you have improved and I have to examine you properly." He went to grab my head again, this time I leapt from the bed, pulling out the IV line swiftly and punching him hard in the stomach, right under his diaphragm. I hated doctors and hospitals had always given me the creeps. Of course I was gonna bail. As he recovered whilst I tried to put as much space between me and him, I heard him, barely, say "R-Room!"

I felt weird as I now found myself on the floor. That bastard. He had used his devil fruit to cut me into pieces. As he carried only my head back to my room, he called for Bepo and Penguin as Shachi finished cleaning the floor. "Bring the rest of her." He ordered, looking towards the rest of my body parts. Maybe I should start voicing my objections now.

No.

I should bide my time and talk when I want to. I huffed in my annoyance as he carried my severed head. "You shouldn't try to run. Your body is still too weak." He said, looking down at the small piece of me, his face a little pale from the wind I had knocked out of him. Putting my head down on the bed and putting on those ghastly medical gloves "open up" he ordered me. Usually, I don't take orders from anyone, but I humoured him, having a nasty idea in mind. Opening my mouth, he stuck his fingers in it all dentist like. As he checked my molars, I rammed my teeth down swiftly and with force similar to how a 'gator snaps down with its jaws.

He yelled in pain for a moment and began waving my head about as he tried to shake me off. I wasn't giving up so easily. He hit my head against the wall, sending pain rushing around my head. I felt the injury on my head re-open. Fuck. Everything went dark as my head fell but I thought I felt a large, skinny fingered hand catch me before I hit the ground.

**Law's POV**

This girl is one nasty piece of work. I hadn't expected her to be this aggressive given her behaviour towards Bepo, Shachi and Penguin. I should probably be more careful the next time I examine her, at least whilst she's conscious anyway. A muscle relaxer or a sedative may prove necessary. I pieced her back together, reattaching the IV line that she had so arrogantly ripped out of herself earlier, continuing her treatment. Checking her head, I saw blood soaking through the bandages. Taking them off gently, I saw the wound had opened. Going to the desk in the room, I took out the alcohol wipes and poured a small bowl of water from the sink in the room, grabbing a cloth to clean the wound with. I turned her head, cleaning the wound with the water and then sterilising it. Making sure that the stitches I had made were holding her injury together, I was satisfied. Applying the clean bandages, I left to dispose of the blood stained ones. Pouring the water away in the operating rooms sink, I stopped. Turning around, I leant against the sink. Thinking.

**Bepo's POV**

Law must have been really mad if he cut her up that fast. Wonder what she did to make him mad. If there's one thing I know not to do, it's anger the Captain. As I checked the charts, and the course we were taking in the ocean, I determined we would be at the next island in about 3 days. I told Penguin to pass the news on to the Captain but ended up catching him as he entered the cockpit of the ship and telling him the update.

Since leaving the food hall, we hadn't seen the girl. "Captain, how is she doing?" I asked, curious as to her disappearance again. Although she couldn't talk, she had seemed nice. He didn't speak until he had sat down on one of the seats near the window, turning it to face me.

"She's asleep again. Little bitch bit me." He replied, holding up his right hand which now had a large dark bruise on the inside of his thumb and forefinger, the imprint of her teeth still left in his skin. Gasping and drawing back a little, I asked "What did she do that for?"

"Who knows. It wouldn't surprise me if she could talk too. She should be feeling better in a few days and by then, her head will have healed." He replied. He wasn't in a good mood. His face didn't have its usual smirk that was almost constantly there.

"Are you going to ask her to join the crew?" I asked, curious if she would become one of us or not.

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Bepo." He replied, seemingly a little ticked off.

"Ah, Sorry." I replied.

...

**Rachael's POV**

I awoke again in a cold sweat, having that bad dream again. I had no idea why I was having that dream when I had not seen such a thing. Was it the future? Or was it just a phantom of my vivid imagination haunting me in my sleep? My insomnia was getting worse. I felt more and more like I did not want to go to sleep and in the mornings back home before I came here, I had been missing my alarms to go to college. Missing lessons was not fun. It was getting harder to get a decent night's sleep anymore and my stress levels have been through the roof.

I need a holiday. -_- Somewhere nice and cold where I can make snowmen and have snowball fights. Make ice sculptures of people and snow angels and laugh at how people shove the snow down each other's tops to give them a shock. I missed those days. I had not seen snow in the UK back home for many years, and when it did, it was short. Shorter than a minute, and it was in the middle of the year sometimes. It was always strange like that, but if we didn't live up near the hills, we didn't get any snow at all. Even that one year I went on a trip in February, when I was in the hills and it snowed heavily, I came back down to find nothing but slush and water lining the soil. There was no white powder snow or icicles on the trees.

When I had been up there in the hills in that snow, the sky had been pure white. Nothing to see but snow for miles around. You couldn't even see the valley beneath us and the snow had come down thick and for many days. Not many places like that anymore. I wonder if I would see one here.

I looked down at my arm. The IV line was gone and in its place was a small plaster. Guess I could finally put my bra and top back on. I shot out of bed, grabbing both my top and bra and putting them on as I was the hare from 'the hare and the tortoise', trying his best to win the race, only I wasn't racing anyone. Derp. Too used to those old PE lessons in secondary school where you were forced to dress within a few minutes or get push ups or more circuits around the track as punishment.

I looked out in to the corridor. Left, and right. Nothing. There was no one lingering. I left my room, leaving the door ajar (and by ajar, I mean wide open XD). I walked around barefoot on the metal floor for a fair while. After a short time, I found the cockpit, with the fluffy navigator at the wheel. Coming up behind him, I tapped him lightly on the shoulder twice.

He jumped right out of his skin. Had he not heard me enter? Guess not. After flinching in sudden surprise at my arrival, he turned to see me standing behind him, breathing a sigh of relief as he saw it was me. "Your recovery was well timed, miss. We're about to resurface." I heard him say. He was almost blocked out of my mind as I looked out of the cockpit windows out into the sea. I had seen above it but not below before. It was beautiful. There were fish of many colours, shapes and sizes there, swimming around under the shimmering surface of the briny blue. It made me feel like I wanted to reach out and touch them.

Bepo must have said something else, but I just couldn't hear him. This place was just too beautiful to be true, yet I could see it.

"Like it?" I heard someone almost whisper in my ear, their breath close enough I could feel it.

I had not jumped, simply looking at Law, who had more than likely intended to make me jump with his failed attempt at being quiet on his entry to the cockpit. I met my eyes with his as he stared off into the sea, his eyes coming to meet mine a moment later. I looked back, suddenly not feeling the vibe anymore. Damn, he was a mood killer. Turning to leave, he stood there casually as I left the cockpit again. I wanted to be alone right now.

**Law's POV**

"What's up with her do you think?" Asked Penguin, who had been keeping an eye on the instruments on the main terminal, his presence so far either ignored or not realised.

"Who knows." I replied. Understanding the mind of a woman was like trying to understand the weather of the Grand Line.

Unpredictable.

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

IV line - used to feed blood into the body through veins in the arm

Diaphragm - The diaphragm separates the thoracic cavity containing the heart and lungs. It performs an important function in respiration.

'gator - abbreviation of the word alligator

Sterilising - in the medical profession, it is important to clean injuries before anti-bacterialising them and dressing them.

... - long period of time passes

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! I hope you are enjoying this coz I sure am. :3**


	20. Pain strikes again

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

**Law's POV**

Understanding the mind of a woman was like trying to understand the weather of the Grand Line.

Unpredictable.

"Captain. We're surfacing." Bepo yelled down the corridor as I waited in front of the door that led to the outside.

As I felt the usual motion that I knew from the many times we had surfaced, I opened the door, turning the stiff handle. As sunlight flooded in, I walked out onto the damp deck, leaning my nodachi against the railing, I leant on it, looking out to sea. I could let myself think up here, with the wind blowing and the sound of the sea for miles around.

**Rachael's POV**

Since being cut up by Law and then having my head hit against a wall, my ability to make friends with someone like him was not exactly going well. With my head feeling a little sore, I got up to stretch my legs and give my head a chance to breathe. I felt an air current passing through the sub, had we surfaced?

I went out into the corridor, looking to the direction of the wind and finding the door that led to the outside open. I smelt the scent of food being cooked but decided to get some fresh air first. I walked, barefoot, to the door and out into the sea breeze. I stopped, seeing Law leaning on the railing and looking out to see with a thoughtful face on. I can't exactly ignore him just coz we got off on the wrong foot. Walking over to the railing and distancing myself from his nodachi, I placed my hands upon the cold metal rail.

**Law's POV**

I shifted my eyes to see her standing there. She stood looking out to sea, no particular expression on her face. I couldn't read her, what she was thinking? I still don't know how she ended up on that island. It had been several days since I had fully examined the wound, since she had insisted on changing her bandages herself. This was unacceptable. I turned to fully face her. Walking up to her, she noticed as she turned to me, putting herself into a fighting stance.

"Still don't trust me?" I asked, with a smirk.

She shook her head slowly, barely moving it at all, a gentle breeze blowing though her hair as she returned to staring out to sea. A flock of seagulls was flying overhead. She looked up and after a few moments, raised a hand to the sky, her palm facing downwards. After a few moments, several of the seagulls landed on the railing of the sub with one landing on her hand. She lowered it, bringing the seagull to her eye level, she raised her other hand and the seagull, although wary, allowed her to softly stroke its feathers.

I had seen nothing like this before. Even on the Grand Line, this was unique.

"You have a way with animals, miss." I said, complimenting her unique ability. She turned to look at me, walking over. For a moment, the seagull looked between me and her. She nodded her head to the gull as it hopped off her hand and flew onto my hat. I didn't like it. Waving the gull off of my head, I looked back at her. She was smirking at me.

"What's got you?" I asked, a little ticked off at her humility towards my distaste for animals.

She looked at me with a gentle look.

**Rachael's POV**

Looking at him, I contemplated talking for the first time to Law since I had woken aboard the sub. I guess now was about as good a time as any other.

"Dunno, but you look funny with a bird on your head. You look a little like Sengoku with a gull on your hat" I said, giggling throughout.

He took a little breath in as he realised I wasn't mute.

"Why didn't you speak earlier?" He asked, almost like an order.

"Hmph. Didn't feel like it. Besides, I wasn't sure if I could trust you or not." I said, pointing my nose up at him.

"Then at least tell me your name." He ordered. What was I, one of his crewmen?

"Nope" I said, simply.

"Why?" He asked, his face changing to an expression of slight annoyance at my denial to answer his question.

"Don't wanna."

"You are trying my patience!" He almost shouted.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" I asked, pushing him further.

"Tell me your name, dammit!"He shouted full on to my face.

"How 'bout no!" I shouted back. We were both glaring at each other by this point and this conversation, or I should say yelling contest was going nowhere.

"You will tell me your name." He said with confidence, storming off back into the sub.

Once he had gone out of earshot, I said to myself "We shall see."

...

I had spent a good deal of time outside the sub, looking out to sea and running over a few of my more pressing questions. How had I gotten here? Why was I sent here? And how had Law found me so fast after I had fell unconscious?

Two out of three of those questions I could ask Law, though it was doubtful if he knew how I got here. I would talk to him later, if he would even talk at all after our little 'discussion'.

As I walked towards the door to the sub, I had the air knocked out of me by the collision of something white, large and fluffy. I slid on the still slightly damp wood, falling over and hitting my head on the same part I had injured it. Feeling the pain spread through my head, everything went black. Fuck. Not again.

I woke up in Bepo's arms inside the sub. I must have fallen unconscious when he had slammed into me.

"Oh, miss, you're awake." He said as he walked down the corridor to the infirmary.

"Yes, thank you, Bepo" I replied. He gasped in surprise, suddenly stopping and accidentally dropping me. At least this time I landed on all fours. "Hey. Watch it!" I said, looking up at him.

"Oh. Sorry! I was just surprised. I had thought that you were mute." He said. I got back up, slowly as my head felt a little sore, holding it as it still pounded. That was getting to be a pain, and not just in the physical way. Putting my hand down, I walked down the corridors, my feet not making a sound, like always. I hated the sounds of noisy banging feet on the ground, always interrupting my thoughts, very distracting. I had heard at least 4 or 5 men going down the corridors, only 2 of which I had seen. Very loud walkers. Only Law had been relatively quiet so far, the rest of them you could hear a mile off even if you weren't an animal with sensitive hearing. I heard the sub door to the outside close and the sub lurched forward, making me step back and regain my balance.

"What's the deal? Why are we submerging again?" I asked, looking to Bepo for answers.

"Marines were spotted above water. We had to submerge or we would have been spotted." He replied, slightly sad.

"What's with you?" I asked.

"I prefer it above water, it's the one place I can breathe and get some air. It's too warm and stuffy in here." He said, sweat droplets beginning to form on his head.

"I agree. I hate warm places. I prefer places with cold air, snow and ice. The perfect winter climate for me." I said, almost dreamily. I loved the cold and I felt that I was born to live in it that I was so adapted to its temperatures.

"Were you a polar bear in a past life?" Bepo asked, innocently.

"Who knows. And why do you ask that?" Curious question I thought.

"Ah, sorry. You must like the cold then?" He asked.

"I love it. It's the one type of environment I feel at home in." I replied. I wonder if the next island that the sub surfaces at is a winter island?

**Law's POV**

We were only a couple of days away from the next island at best estimate from Bepo. I could try and pry out that girl's name before then. It should be interesting. If she won't tell me, I'll make her join my crew, then she'll have no choice but to tell me.

I saw her walking along the corridor with Bepo in tow, her face pale and holding her head in the place she'd injured it. I walked towards them coming into a conversation half way through.

"...well I don't mind my hair this short. I was thinking of getting it cut before anyways. It was getting too long before and it was in the way. This is much better." I heard her say. As they saw me, they both stopped, looking at me nonchalantly.

"Bepo, return to the cockpit and take over from Shachi." I ordered.

"Aye Captain." He said, running off to the bridge to drive the sub and check we were en-route to our next destination.

We both stood there for a while in total silence, looking at each other with expressionless eyes, neither one of us wanting to look away. Finally, I blinked. Damn. She'd beaten me at a stare down. I walked off in the opposite direction to her back to my room, giving her a "tsch" as I walked away. I wasn't in the mood to talk to her right now.

**Rachael's POV**

Wonder what that was about. The emptiness of those eyes could kill a man, they were cold. I walked off to where I remembered the food hall was, at least the sub was small. Any larger and I would have gotten lost. Thank my personality for taking the time to explore. As I walked in, I was immediately met with Penguin and Shachi giving me bear hugs together. I didn't like this, it was too warm and I hated hugs.

"What the...get off of me!" I shouted.

"But we want to get to know you..." Penguin started, his eyes blushing as he saw my small amount of revealed cleavage. That was the last straw. Blowing on my fist, I gave both of them a hook to the head, leaving some nice bumps.

"Next time just talk! I hate intimacy and you have no right to ogle at my boobs. Go find your own if you're so interested in female physiology." I said, kicking them both up the butt for good measure.

"Okay. Okay." They both said in unison.

"I'm guessing you're hungry?" Shachi asked, still holding his head in pain.

"Yeah. Could you bring something for me?" I asked, nicely, which was not like me at all.

"Sure." Shachi went to the wall with the hatch in it that was used to hand out food at meal times. It was convenient, I loved those things.

"Hey! Cook! Make the lady something would ya?" He shouted into the hatch.

A deep, strong voice came back "Sure thing. What does she want?" Penguin was at a loss. Turning to me I said "As long as it doesn't have nuts, brussel sprouts, parsnips or bread, I'm good with anything." as I took a seat at one of the tables in the room. As he relayed my message, I looked around the food hall. It wasn't flattering in terms of interior deco. About 10 minutes later, the chef came out with Spaghetti Bolognese. My eyes must have been as big as saucers. That was my favourite dish other than roast dinner! As the chef laid the plate down, I could hardly stop myself from wolfing down the whole plate of slimy strings and minced beef in sauce in a matter of minutes.

They all looked me in surprised as I wiped my mouth on my sleeve. I was not a girly girl in terms of any of my habits.

"What? I was hungry."

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

'discussion' - sarcasm. In the context, it refers to the argument/yelling contest between Rachael and Law.

Nonchalantly - coolly unconcerned, indifferent, unexcited or casual

Deco - short for decoration

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! I hope you are enjoying this coz I sure am. :3**


	21. An unnatural fruit, the devil emerges

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"You are now officially one of the Rumbar Pirates! Yohohoho!"

**Rebecca's POV**

...

We partied well into the night. The men getting drunk whilst I watched and laughed. I was never one for alcohol, to me it tasted vile. I didn't eat much either but what I did eat was mainly vegetables and meat, not that there was very much of the former. That was something I might point out later. Brook had given me a tour of the ship and it was incredible. I was seeing what had not been seen in the anime, a lot of people would kill Eiichiro Oda just to see what I was seeing. I was secretly jumping for joy inside, but I had keep my face straight. I let it out a little, smiling as we reached the other end of the ship, continuing to climb though the decks and looking around all the rooms. From the ammunition deck, all the way to the brig (which was creepy) and back up to the observation deck and the kitchen. It was an amazing ship on the inside but it seemed a shame since I knew who the original captain of the Rumbar Pirates was. Yorki had brought Laboon over reverse mountain through no fault of his own and the young whale had come to love Brook for his musical talent.

Though they had shared a friendship, they hadn't been able to take Laboon into the Grand Line with them and had left them with Crocus of the Twin Capes. A sad back story but that's how Oda wrote it. Brook wouldn't be who is now without it either. After seeing the whole ship, he left me with a few of the crewmen to learn the basics of how to sail like learning how to furl and unfurl the sails, steer the ship and how to read various signs for warnings of bad weather fronts approaching.

**Brook's POV**

She had learned fast. When I had let the crew take charge of her learning the various skills she needed, she had listened and taken all the advice they had told her to heart. She was dedicated and a good listener, not to mention when left to herself, she would get on with things she knew she needed to do. During the party the first night she had joined us, we had gotten to know her a little better. She seemed to me like she was holding something back though. Though she had talked and had answered many of the questions that the crew and myself had asked of her, she still seemed to be hiding something.

"Oi! Brook!" I heard her calling me.

"What is it, Rebecca? Do you want to show me your panties? Yohohoho!" I asked, hopefully, as I walked over to her.

"Hell no!"she said, throwing a heavy object at my head, leaving a small bump.

"Ow! That was completely unecessary!" I said, holding my sore head.

"Serves you right for trying to get a peek at my underwear you basket case!" she yelled back at me, continuing "I was actually going to ask when you guys eat, I am starving."

My stomach growled loudly. "Oh my. I think you're right." I said turning to the men and raising my voice "Alright men, let's get some food!"

**Rebecca's POV**

Twenty minutes later and the whole chew was sitting down to a buffet of various foods including meat on the bone, fruit salad, pasta salad, meat in gravy, meat in honey glaze (which tasted yummy) and a variety of puddings which all looked amazing! I couldn't choose which ones to eat first. I never had that big of an appetite so I had to choose wisely what I wanted. Picking a dish of roast beef with roasted veg and a bowl of strawberry and chocolate ice cream, I downed both in quick succession. When I was hungry, I ate like a horse and I was ravenous right now.

Once I had finished and cleared up after myself, I took up the sentry post at the top of the mast, looking around for marines or other pirate ships, both enemies of ours. As I looked out to see, I still couldn't believe I was here. Although, the thought of Brooks end had been haunting me since I had met him. His meeting with an unknown pirate crew had led to the Rumbar Pirates demise and Brooks revival into the badass afro skeleton that he becomes. I had to wonder when that time would come, I wasn't ready to die yet.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I spotted an enemy ship coming in from the west. "Enemy ship sighted off the Port bow!" I shouted down to the crew. As they all turned to the ship, I picked up the long spyglass that was always kept up here. Looking in the direction of the ship, I saw a jolly roger. So they were pirates, huh? This should be fun. I have no battle experience and no way to defend myself. "It's a jolly roger. They're pirates!" I relayed to the men.

**Brook's POV**

We had an enemy ship inbound. "Ready your weapons men! Rebecca, get below in to the ammunition deck, we'll need you in there!" I shouted.

"Aye Captain!" I heard her respond as she climbed out of the sentry post and made her way to the rigging, slowly.

"Load the cannons!" I ordered, this would not be pretty by any means. As the enemy ship pulled alongside ours, several men came swinging onto the ship, landing with swords drawn, with many others aiming with bows and arrows as well as pistols. A shout for the enemy to fire came as they all shot in unison. Many of the men had dodged the bullets but the ship's doctor had been hit with an arrow, piercing his heart and killing him slowly and painfully. I jumped up onto the upper deck, catching him as he fell. "Just hold on now. We'll help you, just don't leave us yet. The men depend on you to help them." I said, knowing his fate deep down.

"Don't be stupid Brook, I know a lost cause when I see one. An arrow to the heart is more than likely a death sentence, even you should know that." He said, blood trickling from his mouth. "I'm...going to meet...Captain Yorki...now. Give my best...to...Laboon. I know how much he...wanted us to...sing together...again." He struggled out the last part finishing with his last breath "Brook". As the light faded from his eyes, he closed them and smiled widely. I wanted to cry but I knew now was not the time for tears.

"Captain, we got the bastard who shot him!" A crewman shouted from the deck. Leaning over the railing, I shouted over the sound of clinking metal as swords met each other "Good. Raid that ship men! If anyone gets in your way, get them!" I shouted pointing to the ship. As the men climbed aboard the enemy ship under fire, I saw to Rebecca. Running below to the ammunition deck, I saw her loading up the triple barrelled cannon, aimed directly at the enemy ship, her gaze determined as the other men handed her the cannon balls one at a time, handing her the fuse as she finished loading. As the triple shot went off, hitting the enemy ship and taking out several of the enemy, I saw my men rush aboard "Nice shot! Yohohoho!"

"Thanks, but shouldn't you be helping your men on deck?" She asked, worried for both their safety and mine.

"They can handle themselves for a few minutes. Are you injured?" I asked, worried for my newest crewmember.

"I got snagged on one of those arrows earlier but it's nothing serious." She replied, turning to show me her bare arm, a large scratch across it with blood dripping out. Looking at it, the scratch was not deep. Nodding, I turned and ran towards the ladder leading to the deck. Climbing it, I stopped halfway ordering "You're in charge of everything here, so I'll leave you to it. Yohohoho!" finishing the climb up.

We had plundered the enemy ship finding nothing of value. That is, until one of the crew found a devil fruit, locked in a small chest in the enemy's treasury. Pulling out, the enemy retreated. As we rejoiced, all the members of the crew below in the ammunition deck came up to join in the celebration. They were all covered in bruises, cuts and bashes. Every one of them covered in some form of blood that was either theirs or the enemy's. As Rebecca came on to the deck, I offered her a hand, though she didn't accept it as she stood up on her own.

I stood on the upper deck, getting ready to address the crew as I straightened my cravat and fluffed up my afro a little. Sheathing my sword once again as I walked up the stairs, I hung it on the railing. Picking up the box with the devil fruit in it, I held it in my hands. Taking in a deep breath I began my address "Men! We did good today! Though we lost some of our comrades today, we will not forget their sacrifice. They knew once they sailed the sea under the Jolly Roger that death was a certainty, but they did it anyway to live their lives to the fullest. Since Rebecca has joined us, she has also taken on this certainty and has bravely shown that she can live under the Rumbar Pirates banner" I said pointing up at the Jolly Roger fluttering in the wind, continuing "and as such, I believe she is worthy of the devil fruit that we got today. Who's with me men?!" I shouted, a crowd of cheers responding to my suggestion. I beckoned for Rebecca to join me on the upper deck.

**Rebecca's POV**

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?! Brook wanted me to have the devil fruit? I mean, yeah, things would be different from now on but I never thought he'd be giving the devil fruit that the more experienced members of the crew had found to a noob. It was illogical. But then again, in what episode of One Piece did the word logical ever appear. Climbing the stairs with heavy feet, Brook gave me the fruit. As I took it out of the box and looked at it, it looked kind of funny. It was mainly spherical, with some fire like shapes on it. It looked a lot like the Mera-Mera no Mi in a way, but then they were both devil fruits. I wonder what this one was? Looking at Brook he said "Be aware that devil fruits taste bad, really bad. Other than that, good luck" He put up a thumb, showing me support.

Taking a breath, I opened my mouth wide and bit down into the fleshy outside of the devil fruit. Ewww! Gross! This thing is vile. Opening my mouth, I unfortunately had to finish the whole thing. As I finished the last bite, I was glad that I had finished eating something so foul. Looking up at Brook, I found him looking at me expectantly.

"I am not going to show you my underwear!"

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Eiichiro Oda - Creator of One Piece, the one and only. Praise be to him!

Laboon - If you don't know who Laboon is, go back and watch One Piece...again! He is a whale that followed the Rumbar Pirates into the Grand Line over Reverse Mountain after they were able to lift his spirits in the West Blue.

Veg - pronounced veh-j, abbreviation of the word vegetables.

Cravat - short, wide strip of fabric worn by men around the neck and tucked inside an open-necked shirt.

Mera-Mera no Mi - Ace's Devil Fruit. It allows him to control and become fire. If you don't know who Ace is, go back to Reverse Mountain and watch from there until you know who he is, peasant!

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! Need to stop doing this til 5 in the morning. :/**


	22. The lich awakens, the death of Brook

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"I am not going to show you my underwear!" I shouted at Brook.

**Brook's POV**

"What? No! For once I don't want to see them!" I said, backing off a little, continuing "Do you feel any changes?". Usually after someone eats a devil fruit, some changes happen. For instance transformations happen if they're a zoan type, physical changes happen if you ate a paramecia and if you were lucky and got a logia type devil fruit, usually throwing something at them would determine if they were made of a particular substance since it would either go straight through them or get stuck in them.

Picking up a candle holder from the nearby map room, I peeked around the corner. Seeing Rebecca looking at something else, I threw the candle holder. It hit her head with a loud 'thunk'. "Ow!" I heard her shout, continuing "What the hell?! Jeez! Brook! That friggin' hurt." She held her head in pain, a small lump forming. Oh my, that must have stung.

"Well, at least we know you're not a logia type which must mean you must have eaten either a paramecia or a zoan type fruit. In any case, you'll find out."

"Captain!" I heard one of the crew shout, worry obvious in his voice.

"What is it?" I asked, coming to the balcony's rail again, looking at him.

"Yoshikuji just collapsed! He's not breathing!" He shouted.

"Same here! Tatsuki just collapsed too!" Another crew member shouted, my eyes darting to him, a man being held in his arms, his head pressed to the unconscious mans chest, listening for a heartbeat.

"What is going on here?" I asked to myself. The ship's doctor had died already, there was nothing we could do at this point. One of the crew walked over to the arrow in the doctors chest, pulling it out and sniffing the tip. He gasped in surprise "their weapons were poisoned!"

"We were all hit by those weapons at least once!" Rebecca noticed.

All of the men stared down at the ground, the sudden realisation of their imminent death covered their faces. Everyone went deathly quiet (yes, sorry. That pun was bad), their eyes filled with hopelessness as their knees gave way and they began to tremble

"Well at least we're all dying together, right?" Rebecca said.

**Rebecca's POV**

I was being the optimist here. I knew exactly what was coming next and I was terrified. Living a long and happy life, laughing with my friends everyday was to be my greatest hope. But the day I had been thinking about since I had met Brook in person was a day that had come all too soon.

Brook collapsed to the floor. "Brook!" I rushed over to him, "Are you ok?"

Ignoring my question, he looked up "How many of us are still breathing?" Time was of the essense.

"We're breathing, but it doesn't seem like there's any hope for any of us." A crewman answered, blood running from various wounds on his body. "Looks like we got ourselves wiped out." Another crewman added, his wounds similar to that of the other man.

One of the crewmen who had collapsed was breathing heavily. Though he struggled to breathe he managed to say "We're pirates, so we were prepared to die at any time, but...we didn't think that we'd all die at once"

"Laboon..." Another crewman said, contemplating the promise they had made to the young whale who they had left at the Grand Line side of Reverse Mountain, with Crocus as a nakama.

"Brook, what about the Yomi-Yomi no Mi you ate?" I asked.

"Who knows...I have never died before...but...I have an idea." He replied, continuing "We will die anyway, so let us die while having fun." Standing up, he looked at the crew, a wide grin on his face. "Shall we sing a song?" After a short pause with the crew looking at him, he continued. "If the power of the Yomi Yomi no Mi really will bring me back to life, then I will deliver it to him without fail." He placed a tone dial upon the top of the grand piano that was on the deck. "The Tone Dial. This song that Laboon, the Captain, and all of us loved. Our comrade, waiting at the cape,, not knowing whether we will come today or tomorrow. I will deliver it to Laboon!"

"Great idea!" One of the crewmen said. Another joining him, barely able to say "Yeah. You guys...let's not fall until the very end." another adding "Let him hear it. Let's give Laboon the once-in-a-lifetime performance!"

With various men now weak from the poison, the ones still able to stand helped the weaker ones to their feet, some with their arms over their shoulders, holding them up. Brook opened the lid of the piano keys, sitting down as he readied to play. He nodded his head to the 4 strings players behind him, one cello player and two violinists as well as a viola player to boot. Turning to the piano, he tapped his foot 4 times, clicking the tone dial for it to start recording as he began to play Binks Sake, their favourite song, which they had used to cheer up Laboon when they had first met him as well as seeing Captain Yorki off when they were forced to part ways due to the illness he and some of the crew had caught.

I was beginning to feel woozy, my vision was blurry. Leaning on the Piano, I heard Brook begin to play the Piano, but then everything went black.

**Brook's POV**

Yo-hohoho, Yo-ho-ho-ho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-ho-ho-ho.  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-ho-ho-ho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-ho-ho-ho.

Gather up all of the crew  
It's time to ship out Bink's brew  
Sea-wind blows  
To where? Who knows?  
The waves will be our guide.

O'er across the ocean's tide,  
Rays of sunshine far and wide.  
Birds they sing  
Of cheerful things  
In circles passing by.

Bid farewell to weaver's town,  
Say so long to port renowned,  
Sing a song,  
It won't be long,  
Before we're casting off.

Cross the gold and silver seas,  
A salty spray puts us at ease,  
Day and night,  
To our delight,  
The voyage never ends.

Gather up all of the crew,  
It's time to ship out Bink's brew,  
Pirates we,  
Eternally,  
Are challenging the sea.

With the waves to rest our heads,  
Ship beneath us as our beds,  
Hoisted high,  
Upon the mast,  
Our Jolly Roger flies.

Somewhere in the endless sky  
Stormy winds are blowing wide,  
Waves are dancing,  
Evening comes,  
It's time to sound the drums.

But steady men, and never fear,  
Tomorrow's skies are always clear,  
So pound your feet,  
And clap your hands,  
Till sunny days return.

Yo-hohoho, Yo-ho-ho-ho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-ho-ho-ho.  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-ho-ho-ho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-ho-ho-ho.

Gather up all of the crew,  
It's time to ship out Bink's brew,  
Wave good-bye,  
But don't you cry,  
Our memories remain.

Our days are but a passing dream,  
Everlasting though they seem,  
Beneath the moon,  
We'll meet again,  
The wind's our lullaby.

Gather up all of the crew,  
It's time to ship out Bink's brew,  
Sing a song,  
And play along,  
For all the ocean's wide.

After all is said and done,  
You'll end up a skeleton,  
So spread your tale,  
From dawn till dusk,  
Upon these foamy seas.

Yo-hohoho, Yo-ho-ho-ho,  
Yo-hohoho, Yo-ho-ho-ho.

(Brook only)Yo-hohoho, Yo-ho-ho-ho.

Men were falling face first onto the deck, out cold by the time they reached the boards. Then, the viola player collapsed, dead, with a smile on his face. I kept playing. "Well, it would seem we're down to a quartet". One of the men playing the violins collapsed, his glasses shattered and wonky from the fall, a smile covering his face too. This was heartbreaking even for me. "A trio". The crew were dropping like flies, one after another. My comrades that I had spent time on many an adventure with, their lives snuffed out like a candle in the wind. Only the cello player, the violinist and me remained, soon to be corrected. The cello player landed with a thud against the deck. I wanted to look but I knew I had to finish the song, for Laboon's sake. "Duet". It was only me and the last violinist now. All my comrades had perished but us. The accompaniment and the violin player. It was an incomplete song now.

The last man but me, the last violin player finally gave up in his effort to finish, leaving only me. I wept quietly to myself, knowing Laboon would not have wanted to hear of an unhappy demise on the Dial if the Yomi-Yomi no Mi worked as I thought it did, as I would then be able to get it back to him some day. "A solo." I played on, trying to finish before the poison consumed me. My vision was already blurring. "It isn't right leaving only the accompaniment" I said to myself, as if saying it to the now dead crew, one hand covering my eyes as the other continued to play. I thought back to when I had joined Yorki's Crew and how it had grown.

_Yorki: "If ya wanna join my crew, all I ask is that you love music. Let's hear it for the Rumbar Pirates! The crew that brings a smile to every child!"_

Thinking back to the Twin Capes, of Laboon, I remembered our promise to him.

_Yorki: "Laboon! Once we travel the world, we're coming right back here. You just wait for us!"_

_Laboon: (Whistle, Squeak, Whistle)_

The tears came in rivers, my hands both playing so I was unable to stop to wipe them away. But I was happy, I had died alongside my comrades and I had but one regret, that the crew that had originally set off under the command of Captain Yorki, could not return to him. My vision was going dark now, not just from the tears. I knew my end was near, yet I kept playing as I came to the final few notes.

But it was not to be. My body stopped short, no longer responding. I fell from the piano stool, my glasses slipping from my face and shattering the decorative beads as they landed on the deck, my body following suite. The life faded from me as I closed my eyes and grinned the widest smile I could give. But just before I did so, I saw a blue aura emanating from Rebecca's seemingly dead body. Her flesh melted away revealing her slender and precise bone structure. Her plaited hair remained, a long, rope like thing attached to her head. I mustered what strength I had left.

"The song was incomplete by just a few short notes."

"Brook." I heard her say my name as I slipped in to the abyss of death.

**Rebecca's POV**

I had died. I was sure of it. I had been dead for a short time, yet it did not seem so now. Had I been resurrected? Had the power of the Lich-Lich fruit brought me back? I had no idea what was going on. Looking over at Brook, I saw the light of his life fade in his eyes. Something no other otaku had ever seen before. It was heartbreaking for me to watch. I reached out a hand to grab his but stopped, looking down I saw a skeletal hand. Wiggling my fingers I realised it was my hand.

I nonchalantly walked into the ship, totally oblivious to the bodies of the Rumbar crew, spread here and there across the deck. Finding a mirror, I looked at myself. Leaving a second for it to sink in, my jaw dropped.

"I do believe I am Jack Skellington! NOICE!"

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Yoshikuji and Tatsuki - Generic members of the crew that I gave names to.

Nakama - In terms of anime and Japanese translation, this word is used to refer to close friends. In One Piece, it is used for people who are more likely family to the character who uses this word.

Viola - A smaller version of a violin, capable of higher notes.

To boot - Simply means 'in addition to'.

Laboons (Whistle, squeak, whistle) - Used to refer to the sound Laboon makes as a young whale.

_Italics _\- When someone has a flashback.

NOICE - Rebecca's way of saying nice when you finds something awesome.

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! Need to stop doing this til 5 in the morning. :/**


	23. David's Decision

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

Grinning widely, he finished "Yeehaw! You can hang with us then! Welcome to NEW KAMA LAND! David-boy!"

**David's POV**

It had been several days since I had recovered. Much of my strength had returned but my body still couldn't handle some foods and drinks. Orange juice especially. Many had remarked on how skinny I was, but I explained the fact that I couldn't put on weight easily like most people and they seemed to back off quickly. Though Ivankov had not stopped asking questions since day 1 since I had been here. It had gotten annoying pretty quickly but I wasn't usually one to rudely tell someone to go fuck themselves, especially after he was the one who had saved my life. He had asked me everything about how I had gotten here to how I didn't know this was a prison to if I knew if any of my friends had been sent here too, which to the last question I had no answer. I felt lonely. I missed them. My brother, Tim, Timi and her psychotic humour, Rebecca and her dark and twisted mind (which she found funny and laughed to herself from time to time) and Rachael, I had never had a clue what was going through her mind. It gave me comfort in this unfamiliar place but I did wish to see them again. Then, I had an idea. If I was going to see my friends again, I wouldn't exactly find them in here.

"Ivankov, is there any way out of Impel Down?" I was going to bust out, even if it killed me.

"The only way out is through the entrance. You'd have to fight your way up through the levels of Impel Down and get past Magellan, Hannyabal as well as the various beasts that roam the halls, like Minotaurus."

I thought for a moment, then asked "What if there was a way for us to escape without some of us fighting at all?"

"What?! Is that even possible?!" Ivankov asked, curious of my inner workings that clicked around in my brain like clockwork.

I nodded, continuing "When I was in the cell freezing to death and covered in Magellan's poison, I was able to take in my surroundings. Just next to where you came out from, there was a small vent. Though my vision was blurry, I could tell there was an air current going out of that room that leads somewhere. Since there was an air current, it may lead to one of the upper levels...or the one below us. Either way, it's worth exploring as a possible way out of this dump." I was unconsciously stroking the goatee I was working on, I never bothered with my hair, which is why it was past my shoulder blades in length. It needed a cut really.

"If we could use that to get some of the prisoners out, it would make getting the larger and stronger inmates out a lot easier since we wouldn't have to worry as much about the rest of them. Since you saw it, and you proposed the idea, you can do the recon. All you have to do is explore the vent system, see where it comes out and tell me when you get back here. Think you can do it."

I was never one for moving around much, and I certainly didn't want to crawl around in a tiny vent, even though my shoulders we small enough to belong to a woman. "Do I have to?" I asked, making a pouty face in discomfort of this idea.

"You don't have to." Ivankov said, turning his back to me slightly. Was he admiring his nails? He turned swiftly, his nails sharp and pointy like needles. What was he going to do to me?! When he got his nails out like that, it was if he was going to... "Emporio Onna Hormone!" ...thought so. Five sharp jabs went into my chest from where his injecting fingers had penetrated my skin. I felt myself changing, my body growing more slender. My hips widened and my waist became small as I felt myself shrinking. I fell to the floor. Then what I was expecting happened. My chest expanded. I put my arms around it, I didn't want them, not this. Anything but this, I wanted to be a man. Breasts grew out of my chest in full, huge and voluptuous. As I sat there on the ground, ashamed of myself now. I punched the floor, soon regretting my actions. "Fuck! Why did you do that?!" I shouted at Ivankov.

"I had to convince you somehow. Yeehaw!" He said, almost innocently.

"The hell is that supposed to mean?! Baka! Turn me back right now!" I shouted at him, almost like an order. I did not want this, anything but this.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...no." He said, after a moment of contemplation.

"Why not?!" I said, now obvious that my voice had gone higher too. I sounded odd.

"Tell ya what, Dachi-kun, if you go investigate those vents, I'll turn you back afterwards." He suggested. He was really getting on my nerves.

"Why are you giving me nicknames?! For fucks sake. Fine, I'll do it. Just give me a coat first, it's freezing out there." I replied. I didn't really have any other choice in the matter. It was either do this or remain a woman forever, and that was not going to happen. Fuck that. Let's get it over with so I can go back to the way I was. Grabbing the fur coat that someone had brought, I walked out, following Ivankov out of Level 5.5 and out into the frozen landscape of Level 5.

...

Luckily, we had not run into any of the wolves on this level. As he showed me back into the room that I had been left in, I found the hidden vent that I had seen when I had been left to die by Magellan. I tried to pry it open but it was frozen shut. Luckily Ivankov had the right idea before he left. He had gotten from somewhere an ice pick and a wooden mallet. Frowning at him I took the tools and freed the vent's grate from the wall. Handing him the tools, I got halfway in, stopping as Invankov told me if I didn't come back in 3 hours that he would send someone to get me. Nodding as I felt reassured, I got into the vent and began following the route it took me.

It seemed like a while before I actually reached anywhere. I had found a junction in the vents, taking it left first which led to a dead end, which was a waste of time, shuffling back and turning around at the junction, I took the route right. After what seemed like a long time crawling in the vents going up for most of the way, with sore knees, I came to another vent. Looking out of it, I saw a dark corridor. There was someone screaming, a man. I saw him run past the vent and then something larger shrouded the whole vent in shadow. Looking at it as it chased him, it looked like a Basilisk except it had chicken features as well as a snakes. That was just too weird. As I pushed the grate out, I looked around. Seeing an equally strange hybrid creature, which on closer inspection looked like a sphinx, I climbed half way out of the vent, but as the Sphinx looked my way I immediately got back into the vent, slamming it shut and shuffling backwards for my life. I had seen enough.

It must have been coming up on 3 hours now. Returning to the vent I had crawled into on Level 5 with my still tiny but now curvy body, I got out, returning the vent to its rightful place as is sealed itself shut with ice soon afterwards. As I made my way back to New Kama Land, a man named Inazuma came to meet me and guide me back, just in case I had forgotten the route.

As we walked back together, we did not speak. I looked around, seeing a clearing that looked vaguely familiar to me. I had seen One Piece from beginning to end but did not remember everyone's names. Ivankov came rushing back to my memory soon after I met him and Inazuma popped into my mind with scissors. Was he that guy who had the devil fruit to cut solid matter? I could never remember. Thinking this hard hurts my brain. I had better stop going round in circles in my head.

Just as I stopped trying to remember what I was thinking about, why this clearing was familiar, I remembered what had happened to Luffy here, along with Bon Clay.

"Inazuma" I said, getting his attention "Has an inmate ever survived Ivankov's treatment for Magellan's poison before?" There was a long pause after my question, neither of us moved or spoke but after a while, the silence was broken with 4 short words.

"No. Until you did." He replied, walking off again towards the hidden entrance of Level 5.5.

So Luffy hadn't come here yet and Ace wasn't captured either. That meant I had landed some time before the battle of the best at Marineford. God help me if I had landed myself there, what a mess I would have made, or at least more of a mess than that battle resulted in. Knowing my luck, I'd get killed right on the spot.

"Would anyone here be able to help me learn how to fight, Inazuma?" I asked, as we continued to walk.

It took a few moments for him to reply, but he did, saying "Hmmm, any one of the men in that room could teach you to fight, Dachi-san, but if you wish to become truly strong, then I would suggest either Ivankov or myself, otherwise, you'd have to roam the levels looking for someone with enough patience and skill to teach you, and there are not many who possess both of those traits. Many of which who do are down on level 6, where the people deemed by the Government to be the worst of the worst go. Would you even have the balls to go that far?"

...

Inazuma's words rang in my mind over and over. Do I choose to learn Ivankov's Okama Kenpo, or do I chance a climb to Level 6 and find a teacher amongst the prisoners there and possibly get my life taken from me in the process.

Either way, my life was at stake and I had to make a choice. If I didn't, my only other choice was to die amongst the strong, against my will and unable to fight back. A nobody.

That was not going to happen. I had made my decision.

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Emporio Onna Hormone - Emporio female hormones. Since Emporio Ivankov ate the Horu Horu no Mi, or in english the Horm Horm fruit, he is able to manipulate human hormones in other peoples bodies as well as his own. This includes being able to manipulate the gender of an individual.

Voluptuous - In the case of a woman, it means "curvaceous and sexually attractive." (referenced from Google dictionary, you heard it here folks!)

Dachi - a shortened word for "tomodachi" as in, friend. In the Japanese language, it is a rough-sounding word often used by men rather than by women.

Bon Clay/Bon Kurei/Mr.2/Bentham - are the aliases of the man who became friends with Luffy in the Alabasta arc of One Piece when he was under the authority of Crocodile/Mr.0 as a member of Baroque Works.

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! What awaits David as he contemplates becoming stronger? Read on to discover the decision he makes and how the other characters fare in situations of their own.**


	24. The teacher is in

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

That was not going to happen. I had made my decision.

**Inazuma's POV**

Ever since I had spoken to Dachi-san on the way back from Level 5, where he had scouted a possible passage up to Level 2, he had seemed different. Almost distant, he seemed to question himself and his abilities, though he had shown none as of yet. Was he worried about being weak?

_"Would anyone here be able to help me learn how to fight, Inazuma?"_

Ivankov had still not turned him back into his original male self yet, hoping that he would be satisfied with his new change of physique but all he has done since being turned into a woman is complain about it. He had not slept well that night either. Was it really bothering him this much? Did he really want to be strong so badly.

_"Hmmm, any one of the men in that room could teach you to fight, Dachi-san, but if you wish to become truly strong, then I would suggest either Ivankov or myself, otherwise, you'd have to roam the levels looking for someone with enough patience and skill to teach you, and there are not many who possess both of those traits. Many of which who do are down on level 6, where the people deemed by the Government to be the worst of the worst go. Would you even have the balls to go that far?"_

Maybe I had gone too far by questioning his pride. He wouldn't possibly go to Level 6, not with the small amount of strength he possesses. Would he? I will have to keep an eye on him for the time being. If he decides to go to Level 6, I wouldn't let him go all on his own. He would get himself killed.

**David's POV**

I was weak, that much was certain. Even in my now female form, my body was still as fragile as the stick like figure I resembled from all the bones I was showing when I had been a man. I had to learn from someone but finding the right person to teach me was not going to be easy. Why is nothing ever easy? Other than the future two people who I knew would be in Impel Down's Level 6 in the future, which were Jimbei and Ace, there were only a few that I knew of that would be down there. Some of which were past enemies of Luffy and the rest of his crew. Suddenly I had an idea. In every prison, they keep a list of all the inmates put into which cells. Or at least that is how it worked in my world. Nevertheless, there would be a list that the guards or Magellan has that would be a census of all the inmates on Level 6. I had to get that list. Hmmmmm. I would need help. I barely knew anyone from New Kama Land, so who could I ask? Inazuma seemed nice but would he really help me after only meeting me once? (_shaking his head_) Not likely.

(_Leaning his head on his hand_, _cocking his head to the side_) This was so frustrating. The one time I don't want to be lazy and weak and it's the one time I need help to get something done. I needed that teacher more than anything to teach me skills to be stronger. A war is coming and when it did come, I needed to be ready to bust my ass out of prison. It really didn't suit me. I know I stayed inside most of the time in my world, but here was not a good place to chill and live my life. Then again, prisons as they were presented in the media in my world never gave them a positive outlook other than on the standard of the security of the places. Arrrgh! (_Head in hands, scratching with restlessness through his hair_) This was irritating. (_Getting up_) I walked over to the door and out, stopped by Inazuma as I was going to walk down the cold and dark tunnel.

"Where are you going all by yourself?" He asked. His face was questioning and looked like he was a little worried, his voice echoing down the long hallway.

"I'm just going for a walk, I need to clear my head." I replied, pondering my next question and whether I should extend the kind proposition, which was not my thing at all. Fuck it, why not. He might possibly be able to help me. "Care to join me?"

He seemed to ponder my question for some time. Just as I was about to turn and leave, he replied "Alright."

We both walked in silence until we reached the hallway mouth, leading out into Level 5. I sat down in the snow, leaning back to lay down in the cold and frozen moisture. Though I didn't hate the cold, I didn't exactly like it either, but just stopping to rest every once in a while, especially in a snow covered plain, was never a bad idea to me. It was just who I am. Inazuma looked down at me in question, I guess it did seem a bit weird to other people what I did in the snow. "What are you doing?"

Time for a bad pun "You know, just chilling." There was the biggest awkward moment of silence after that. I've got to admit, that pun was so bad, but hey, what else are puns supposed to be used for?

Inazuma didn't answer. He simply joined me by sitting in the snow with arms crossed. With a white and orange appearance, he seemed to half blend in with the snow, leaving the orange half to stand out. I could have laughed at that but I held it in so it would save me the time of explaining the joke. He may have found it amusing or he could have found it to be a completely hopeless joke. Either way, I didn't care.

...

We had sat there for what seemed like a few hours. As I got up, Inazuma looked at me as I stretched, my body stiff from laying in the snow. I turned to walk back into the tunnel with him tagging along behind me again. When was he going to leave me alone? I couldn't go to Level 6 with him like this. I wanted to go alone to find my teacher and having someone tag along with me would seem a little dependant and sad, wouldn't it? Then again, having someone there might not be a bad idea. Too many things were whirling around inside my head, making me confused and tiring myself out from stress. I would sleep on it. The sleep would help ease my mind and I would make my decision in the morning as to whether I should take someone with me or not.

I walked to the rooms behind the main hall, finding mine near the end of the corridor. Opening the door and entering, I sat down, pondering on my thoughts for a few moments longer. After a few moments of contemplation, I closed the door with my foot since it was within reach of it. The rooms were very small and the beds weren't really good or bad in any way. Letting myself drift off to sleep, I wondered what I would do, but then I stopped worrying about my decision as I felt sleep envelop me and my mind slipped into a dream.

**(Talking over a Skype call)**

_Rachael: Hey David, want to come bowling with us? It'll be fun._

_Me: No thanks, too many people for my liking. You know how I am around large groups of people I don't know. I never know what to talk about, and it makes me anxious._

_Rachael: You wouldn't have to talk about anything, just join in the conversations whenever, or not._

_Me: Still, I'd feel more comfortable at home. I'll pass._

_Rachael: Oh well, maybe next time it can just be me, you and Tim?_

_Me: Hmmmmm, maybe._

I was aware this was a dream. I had seen this situation before when everyone had gone bowling without me since I was only comfortable with small groups of people. I had never liked those situations, even as a child. The memory disappeared, only to be replaced by another one.

**(Talking over a Skype call)**

_Tom: Hey, anyone wanna do some League of Legends? I fancy like beating the crap out of some enemy champs right about now._

_Rachael: Sure, I could go for that._

_Hayley: Oooo, I'll join too._

_Tom: David, how 'bout you?_

_Me: Sure. What game mode?_

_Hayley: Can we do ARAM?_

_Rachael: I have no objections to an ARAM. Let's do dis!_

_Me: I call top._

_Rachael: We don't have lanes, this is an ARAM dipshit. We all fight in the same lane._

_Tom: I think SOMEONE was trolling._

_Me: Ya think._

_Hayley: Hahahaha!_

_Rachael: Not funny guys._

_Me: You've gotta admit that was kinda funny. Hehe._

My mind was bringing back memories from my world. Where I had talked almost every night with friends on Skype over the internet and when I had laughed until I had cried. I missed them. You never know how much you miss something until it is gone. I wanted those times back again. To sit at my computer and game with friends, to watch a movie, to talk about funny things and take the piss out of each other when we wanted to.

It was all gone.

I awoke from my memory dreams, feeling uneasy and unhappy. I wanted them back. My friends. My Computer. My brother. I wanted them all back. Why did all this have to happen? As I got up out of bed, I slowly made my way out of my room and snuck quietly past the main hall of New Kama Land, or Level 5.5 as they called it. A level between levels.

"Where are you going all shifty looking?" I heard someone say from behind me. Dammit Inazuma.

"To find a teacher." I replied, not gracing him with an in depth answer.

"As I thought. I am coming with you." he replied.

"Do you not trust me to go alone?" I asked, sceptical of the sudden offer of help.

"It's not that. You don't know who is down there. Oh, and you'll need this." he replied, throwing a large, thick volume of paper at me. As I looked through it, I realised it was a compilation of information for the convicts down in Level 6. This was what I had been needing.

"How did you get this?" I asked, curious of the answer.

"From Magellan's office. We have made use of the vent system you found and had one of the people from New Kama Land use it to take the documents." he replied, like it was nothing. He was too nonchalant. As I looked through the names, I found one that caught my eye. He had no devil fruit powers and had been put in Impel Down since he was captured by a bounty hunter. He specialised in hand to hand combat as well as weapons and had been the weapons specialist on his ship. Perfect. This man was the teacher I had been looking for.

I heard nothing when 5 sharp jabs of pain shot through my body. I knew that feeling all too well as I looked around to see Ivankov taking his hand out of me, smiling widely. My body was changing again. My chest became flat, my hips became narrow, my bones showed more obviously, my hair became shorter (since it had grown longer that it already was when I became a woman) and all the clothes I was wearing became extremely baggy again.

"When did you decide to turn me back?" I asked Ivankov, surprised by his change of heart in determining my gender, my voice now back to normal.

"Just now. You couldn't have gone to Level 6 as a woman. Just imagine the number of horny men down there."

I deadpanned and facepalmed. "YOU TRANSFORMED ME BACK BECAUSE OF THAT?!" I shouted at him, his reaction being a large bout of laughter. I decided to ignore him from that point on. I walked down the large tunnel and out onto the cold plain of Level 5 with Inazuma in tow.

Retracing my steps to the vent I had crawled through before, I pried it away from the wall, the ice not so thick this time as it came away from the wall with little leverage. Leaning it against the wall, I got into the vent, beginning my long crawl down to Level 6.

...

The crawl to Level 6 took us what seemed like hours and I felt exhausted from the exercise I had gotten just from being in those vents. At some points, it had been so dark, and the sound of motion in the vents had reminded me of a game called Five Nights at Freddy's that was back in my world. It was creepy with all the animatronics running around trying to kill you, but I was never really interested in the games. As we hit another vent, I knew we had come to where we needed to be.

"We're here, Inazuma." I said, pushing the vent out and leaning it against the wall quietly so as not to arouse suspicion. Crawling out onto the cold metal floor, I got up, stretching my body to relieve the soreness I now felt in my muscles and joints. As Inazuma got out of the vent and looked around, he started walking in what seemed like a random direction.

"Do you know where you're going Inazuma?" I asked, unsure of his workings.

"Yeah. The documents held the cell number that the person you wish to speak to is being held in." He replied.

"Right."

We walked for what seemed like half an hour, until Inazuma finally stopped, turning to a cell that was high up and stranded above the others on its own. Whoever they were, they must have been either in a lot of trouble or a really strong threat to the government that they had felt the need to strand him away from others. Grabbing me, he threw me up just enough for me to grab the platform surrounding the cell and pull myself up. Inside I saw the shape of a man in the dim light of Level 6. "Ummm..." Was all I managed to get out before he was able to get to the bars and give me a fright, to which his response was a large bout of laughter.

I hated him already.

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

_Italic writing_ \- Recalling past events. In anime, it would be a flashback/recollection of past memories or a dream the character is having.

Hmmmmm - When a character is thinking.

(_Bracketed italics_) - Actions that are being performed by the character.

Tom and Hayley - Characters that are not essential to the storyline but do hold value as friends of David as well as the other characters.

ARAM - A game type in the League of Legends game. It is a game mode where 5 champions on opposing teams which are chosen randomly and decided in a lobby beforehand, face off against each other in a single lane compared to the other game modes set in two or three lane maps.

"_SOMEONE" _\- Exaggerated parts of a sentence.

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! Some interesting developments await so please keep reading. :D**


	25. Timi and the tiger

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

The tiger stared back at me, pulling back its head and letting out a large, loud roar.

**Luffy's POV**

She looked like she wanted a fight. Signalling for Ōkami (which I had earlier learnt was the wolf's name) to step back and let me fight her, both me and Timi in her tiger form, got into a fighting stance. As we rushed each other, ready to take each other's blows, with me raising my fist to hit her in the face and her raising a paw to strike me, we released our techniques. I landed a clean blow to her jaw, yet she didn't budge.

For some reason, I felt no pain.

Looking at Timi, she had stopped in her strike. My fist still on her jaw, I could feel her body trembling. Bringing back my fist, she came back down to all fours, just standing there, her face staring at the ground. I heard Ōkami gasp from behind me.

"That's it." he said.

"What's it?" I asked, confused as to Timi's behaviour.

"When a human is cursed as an animal, it takes time for the human to regain control. But the start of that process is the conflict of instincts. This usually means that the body seizes up and neither the tiger, in this case, or Timi, can move the body. The trembling is a sign that Timi is fighting to regain control of her own body. She's resisting." He replied.

"How can you fight yourself?" I asked, still confused.

"You can't idiot, she's fighting her animals instincts! Don't you listen?" He asked

"Oh!" I said to myself, planting a fist in my open palm. "So she's fighting herself to regain control of herself to become herself." I grinned, my genious knew no bounds.

"You are a hopeless simpleton, you do know that right? Baka." Ōkami replied, my back still facing him.

**Ōkami's POV**

Amazing. The fact that only after a few transformations Timi was beginning to gain control of her animal body was incredible feat indeed. It had taken me over a year to master even this stage. To have gotten this far in such a short time, could Haru's curse have been meant for Timi? Had this been what the village elder had seen in her? If so, how far could she go in mastering her new power.

I had to test her further.

Running past Luffy, I pounced, biting into her injured shoulder. She snapped out of the trembling daze she was in, staring at me with furious eyes, her growl low and with warning. As I was contemplating my next move, she shifted her weight and flattened me on the ground. Releasing my fangs from her shoulder, she stood up, walking in circles around me and Luffy, her growl low and constant. She wasn't happy. At all. My bite had pissed her off and I may have overstepped the mark a little. Her pacing continued for several minutes, with her changing direction every few moments that passed, until she seized up and began trembling again. Remarkable. The longer she remained in this form, the closer she was to mastering it's instincts.

To have mastered such a unique ability as this in but a few short days was a feat in itself. But how had she done it?

**Timi's POV**

My vision had been going between fuzzy and black, never in focus. I had felt my body move this time, and it felt strange. It felt like I had four legs, each one hard to control unlike arms. I had stopped, listening to the voices that were wailing inside of my head. Up to now, I had heard nothing. So why the sudden noise? I listened to what they were saying, one saying to give in and kill everything I saw, another warning not to harm another living thing. Another telling me to choose who I wanted to be. All the voices were driving me insane. I stopped moving, my mind at war with itself. I just stood there, telling all the voices in my head to be silent but it only made them worse. Eventually, I had had enough of the carnival of cats in my head. I let out a large yell, silencing them all and leaving the world dead when I stopped.

**Luffy's POV**

WOAH! That roar had been enough to shake the ground and push some of the trees back on themselves. She had been stopping and starting for a while and her body had been shaking. I took small steps towards her, unsure of if she was stable or not. As I came within reaching distance, I locked out my arm, her face still one of defence as her growl grew and almost became a quiet roar. I edged slightly closer, my hand just a very small distance from her face. Then the unthinkable happened. She opened her jaws wide, bringing them down over my wrist. As I contorted my face into one of pain, I realised that I felt no pain. Looking down, I saw that she had not bitten into my arm, but rather had proceeded to chew it, being careful not to draw blood.

Was she playing with me?

I shook my arm in random directions. Slowly at first, but then I started shaking it wildly when she did not release her teeth from my arm. Her paws were on my shoulder and chest, yet her claws were sheathed. This was not how a tiger was supposed to act.

"Hey" I said as I stopped moving to get her attention as her ears pricked up and she looked at me, her teeth still chewing lightly on my arm, continuing "Do you mind?". She removed her teeth from me and dropped down onto all fours, flopping onto the ground and rolling in a carefree and happy way. Now that was strange.

**Timi's POV**

My vision was clear. Better than clear, it was sharp. Everything was in focus and it was like I was looking through a magnifying glass. I could see. Everything from anything Luffy's size down to the smallest worm in the dirt, it was in perfect focus. It was like the world was in sync. I stood there for a moment, just looking around at the various things around me, tuning my senses to the sounds and sights and smells I was met with. I readied myself for the blow that Luffy would give me. As he released his punch, I caught his arm in my teeth, being careful not to bite down. I gnawed on his arm playfully for my own amusement, the look on his face one of confusion. Not that it was much different to his normal facial expression. Hehe.

He began waving his arms in all random directions, trying to shake me off. He asked me if I minded the fact that I was practically dangling from his arm. I'd had my fun. Dropping to the ground, I decided I wanted to do something cat like. In a carefree and happy way, I dropped to ground and rolled around a bit, only to confuse Luffy further. Mission successful. Didn't think it would be that easy to confuse the simpleton captain of the Straw Hat pirates. But then again, he was a simpleton from my experience of watching him in the anime back home. I got up, sitting on my haunches, wagging my new tail. Then it had only just dawned on me that I had mastered my new power as I slapped a fist into my open palm in realisation.

Though I had now gained control of my new body, I suddenly felt extremely exhausted. Lying down, I felt my body growing smaller. My paws shrank into fingers and then hands. My back warped and became S-shaped again as aside to an arched spine as a tiger. My legs became slender and toes and feet reformed from the furry back limbs. I was covered with something before I had fully transformed back into a human. Looking up, I saw Nami standing there. She'd given me a long coat to cover myself with.

"Thanks." I said, putting on the jacket properly and tying up the strap that went around it's waist. I walked over to my clothes that were once again in shambles. As I picked them up, Nami looked at them.

"You need some new clothes." she said.

"Well no shit!" I replied. I had liked those clothes and someone pointing out the obvious wasn't helping.

"No need to get snappy, missy! I was gonna offer to give you some but now I don't feel so generous!" She replied, who needed her anyways. I was good at fixing clothes and fabrics, there was nothing I couldn't handle on the clothes I already had. On a second inspection of my clothes, my jeans had been ripped to shreds, there was no hope of me repairing those. Guess I did need some new ones.

"But yeah, I do need some different clothes. These are the only ones I came here with" I replied, a bit put out that the clothes were beyond my help. So much for trying to be economic with my stuff.

"You only have these? What kind of girl are you?" Nami asked, surprised at my lack of clothes.

"Not a very girly one. It's a long story." I replied, looking at her through eyes under lowered eyebrows.

"And where's your bra?" She added.

"I kinda broke it." I replied, like it was nothing.

"Wah?!" Nami looked at me shocked.

"What? It wasn't my fault! Well, it kinda was, but the transformation broke it. It was not intentional you know." I replied, still like it was nothing.

"JOIN MY CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW!" I heard Luffy shout at me.

Making a face between thinking and frustration towards Luffy's impatience, I had made my decision.

"For fucks sake, Luffy. Fine, I'll join your damn crew. You happy?"

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Baka - Japanese translation for an idiot.

Carnival of Cats - One of my own descriptive creations. In this, it is used to define the loud chorus of voices that Timi can hear in her head.

Hehe - character having a funny moment to themselves.

Haunches - A butt and thigh referred together in a human or animal.

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! Having time awake at night without the internet sure gives a lot of time to do more of these. Hope you are liking this plot as much as I am coz I am dying to write what comes next the more I write these. :D**


	26. A new beginning

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"For fucks sake, Luffy. Fine, I'll join your damn crew. You happy?"

"Alright! We got our entertainment!" He shouted in happiness.

"Is that what I am to you?!" I shouted at him, ready to pop.

"Well tigers jump through rings of fire, right?" He asked, a wide grin on his face. I was going to kill that son of a bitch in a minute, he was pissing me off big time. I had liked him better behind a PC screen.

"Yes, yes they do. But I am not doing that for you or anyone. I'd rather drop dead first." I replied, making my point quite plain.

"Aww, but I wanted to see you do that." He complained. I was going to ignore him now, maybe he'll shut up.

"Luffy, I am going back to the ship to get clothes for her." Nami said as she began walking in the direction of the shore.

"Oh! Wait! If she's coming with us, she can go to the ship with you." Luffy suggested. For once, something that came out of his mouth wasn't complete bullshit.

"I am going back to Haru's to thank her for letting me stay there. Do you mind if I join you there afterwards?" I asked.

"Sure." Nami replied as she walked off. Turning past Luffy and giving him a passing glance. I began making my way back to Haru's with Luffy and Ōkami in tow. As Ōkami walked up beside me in wolf form, he transformed into his human form. He was different to how I would have pictured him in my mind. He wasn't skinny, neither was he overly muscle-y or fat. He was normal. Other than his ability to transform, it seemed to me that he had nothing else going for him.

"Are you sure that this is what you want, Timi?" He asked, his voice about the same as his wolf form. I guess that was the one thing that didn't change.

"Sure as I will ever be." I replied. I had felt this was the right thing to do. Ever since I had landed on this island, I had felt so out of place and that my presence here had created both restlessness and caution to the locals. That and I had been freeloading from Haru. I didn't feel like I belonged here. Who knows, I may fit in better with the Straw Hats, I'm definitely insane enough. Maybe hanging around with a bunch of people as insane as I am wouldn't be such a bad idea.

" ŌKAMI!" I heard Haru yell from the house. He rushed on ahead of me, slamming the door open. I heard him gasp in worry, so I came to the door, looking in. Haru was in serious pain. She was grasping her belly and constantly wincing in pain. A wet patch stained the floor around her.

Oh dear god, she was going into labour. Well this was shitty timing.

"Timi, help me get her onto a bed." Ōkami ordered at me.

"Don't tell me what to do!" I yelled back. I had no idea how to act in these kinds of situations so I decided to go with the normal personality trait of mine where my moods were bipolar, good one second, terrible the next.

"She's going into labour! I can't do this on my own, the combined weight of both her and the baby is too much for me to carry alone, I need your help!" Ōkami yelled back.

"Do I have to? Babies cry and stuff, I don't like them." I whined. Helping a woman give birth wasn't exactly my idea of fun.

"Yes, I cannot do this alone." He replied, calming down a little.

"Fine. What do you want me to do, Mr let's-deliver-a-baby?" I asked with attitude, still reluctant to help but not really having a choice in the matter.

"Whilst I help her into the bedroom, go and grab some blankets out of the cupboard over there" he said gesturing with his head. As he helped her into the bedroom, he came rushing back out a few moments later, getting a bowl of water and rushing back in the direction he had come with me close behind him with the blankets he had asked me to get. Coming back into the room, I saw Haru on the large four poster double bed at the end of the room. Bringing the blankets to Ōkami, he took them, gesturing for me to move to the side of the bed. As Haru's breathing became heavy, sweat drops forming on her face.

Dear god, why did this have to happen to me today?

"What's going on?" Luffy asked, I had completely forgotten he was there.

"Well obviously she's having a baby genious." I replied, deadpanning.

"What's a baby?" He asked. I literally hit the ground. How could someone so strong be so stupid?

"What did you think the massive bulge on her stomach was? Moron!" I shouted at him, not helping the situation at all.

"I thought she was just fat, that she's eaten too much food." He replied, still blissfully ignorant.

Facepalming, I took a deep breath to stop myself from hitting Luffy. My voice low and getting louder as I finished I said "Why don't you make yourself useful and GO AND GET CHOPPER!".

Flinching slightly in fear, Luffy ran straight out of the door. Then I remembered that he had no sense of direction, he could take forever to get back.

"Found him." He ran back through the door with the happy reindeer at his feet.

"Already? That was quick." I replied, looking at them both in surprise.

"Luffy told me what was going on, where's Haru?" Chopper asked. His voice was so cute. I pointed in the direction of Haru who was now yelling in pain.

"Are you a doctor?" asked Ōkami, now sweating from the tension of the situation.

"Yes. How long has she been in labour?" He asked, switching to his human form. That must be his heavy point. Awesome! He was so much cooler up close. "I need to know, NOW!" Chopper reiterated.

"Oh!" I snapped out of my daze of awe "about 20 minutes, and her waters are definitely broken." I replied rather hurriedly.

"Right." Chopper replied, taking his bag off and rummaging around for something inside it. "Haru, I need to know if you want an epidural, it will numb the pain in your lower back."

By this point, Haru was wincing in pain every few seconds as the contractions became more frequent. "No." She replied, not able to muster much else as it seemed she lacked oxygen, even though she was breathing heavily. Bringing out a gas mask attached to a very small oxygen tank, he gave the mask to Haru, instructing her how to use it right. He instructed me and Ōkami to hold her hands, though I was still reluctant to do anything in this situation, my comfort zone way out of reach now. As I put both hands around her right hand, Chopper instructed me on what to do to keep her breathing right. As I relayed the breathing instructions to Haru, she followed them, setting her breathing right.

"Now when I say, you need to take a deep breath and then push as hard as you can." Chopper instructed, still in heavy point, so as to be more useful when the baby was born, since his smaller form might prove too small to hold the baby correctly.

Here we go...

"NOW!" He shouted, hands covered in surgical gloves, holding them out ready to receive the child.

Haru's face went into one of agony, frustration and effort, all at the same time. I hadn't even thought that kind of face was even possible to make, but I had been proven wrong.

...

We had repeated the same process for what seemed like hours, until finally, the screams of a baby filled the room.

"MAKE IT STOP!" I yelled. I hated the sound of crying babies, it made me want to stifle the sound altogether. They didn't change much as they reached toddler age either. Again, another reason why I did not want to have children of my own. I ran out of the room, giving the baby a passing glance as I left, running outside where it was relatively quiet and the sounds of the baby could barely be heard.

**Luffy's POV**

Wonder what that was about? Timi had ran out almost as soon as she had heard the baby cry.

"So, what is it Chopper? A boy or a girl?" I asked, curious.

"Haru, you'll be happy to know you gave birth to a baby girl. Congratulations!" Chopper said, his eyes narrowing to happy slits, a smile on his face. As he cut the umbilical cord, he wrapped the baby in the blankets Timi had brought in earlier, handing the baby to Haru. As Haru sat there cuddling with the child for a few moments, her eyes closed in exhaustion and happiness, she looked up.

"Thank you. You've been an amazing help Doctor Chopper." she said.

"Aww, don't flatter me." He said, doing the weird spaghetti dance that he did when conveying opposite emotions to people, continuing "We'll leave you to bathe and change, you must be exhausted and sweaty after that ordeal."

As we walked out, I saw Timi outside. I was curious about something. As I walked out, I saw her breathing in the air with haste.

"Hey, you ok?" I asked, worried about her for a second.

"Yeah. Just not used to these kinds of situations. Sorry about how I reacted in there, I just don't like the sound of crying children. It's not a sound that has a positive reaction with me."

"Ah, ok." I said. Remembering what I was going to ask her, I continued "Oh! By the way, how did you know about Chopper? I hadn't said anything about him yet."

**Timi's POV**

Oh shit. I had let that one slip out.

"Ummm...long story. Mind if I fill you in later?" I asked, scratching my cheek awkwardly. I really needed to be careful not to let any important details slip out or it could change history here. Back to the Future scenario all over again, only this time, I was playing the part of Marty Mcfly.

About 20 minutes later, Haru came walking out of the bathroom, fully clothed with the baby in her arms, all wrapped up in blankets. The baby wasn't crying anymore, thank merciful goodness! Ōkami followed close behind her, a bag full to the brim and him struggling to stay upright.

"I can't thank you enough. I had no idea what to give as thanks so I decided to empty our stocks. We packed some food for your journey, you'll need it with Luffy around I guess." She said, kindly, bowing slightly.

Bowing back I replied "It was nothing. All I did was hold your hand and tell you to breathe. Even Luffy could have done that." I said gesturing to the oblivious simpleton next to me with my thumb.

Talking of the oblivious simpleton, his mouth was watering so much, he had made a small waterfall in his mouth, the look on his face one of amazement and craving to eat the food.

"Hold your horses, Luffy. That food isn't just for you ya know" I said, stopping him from drooling as he looked at me like a child in a sweet shop. I continued "wait til you get back to the ship. You'll have to carry it there first."

"Oh yeah." He said, running to Ōkami and taking it from him hurriedly and heading off in the direction of the ship.

"Guess I'd better go after him. He is my Captain now after all." I said turning back to Haru and Ōkami, bowing slightly as I turned to walk in the direction Luffy had gone, following his tracks.

**Haru's POV**

As I watched Timi walk away, I felt like I was going to miss her. Though she had spent a small amount of time here, I felt like I had gotten to know her.

"Hey Ōkami?" I said, getting his attention.

Looking down at the baby "Timi seems like a nice name"

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Freeloading - To impose upon another's generosity or hospitality without sharing in the cost or responsibility involved.

CAPITALS - Character shouting loudly.

... - Time lapse, usually indicating several hours have passed.

Back to the Future - If I need to explain this, you must have been living under a rock for the last few decades. The Back to the Future trilogy of films features Marty Mcfly, a young boy who by strange coincidence meets the creator of a time machine Doctor Emett Brown. In the first film, he uses said time machine which was created using a Delorian model car, to travel back in time, accidentally meeting his parents and having to do several things to ensure that he is still born. Not giving any more spoilers than that, mainly because I am too lazy to do so. :/ Go and discover them for yourself.

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! Haru's had her baby. Timi has learned control. What will happen next? Tune in for the next exciting episode. :D**


	27. A painful beating and a new friend

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"WHO THE FUCK ATE THE DEVIL FRUIT?!"

**Tim's POV**

Oh shit. Had I just eaten that?

As I poked my head around the door, I saw Kid coming out of the kitchen. His eyes met mine and I could see that he was not going to be reasoned with. I turned the other way and ran for it. I wasn't used to running but I was nimble. I thought I had outrun him. Big mistake. As I turned a corner and looked behind me to see if he was still following, I ran into something solid and big. Falling back onto my butt, I looked up, seeing a pissed off Kid looking down at me.

"Ummm, have mercy?" I asked, expecting the worst here.

"Get ready for a beating, squirt!" He shouted down to me, punching a fist into his other palm.

"Oh crap." I said, nonchalantly. I was never really afraid of anyone ever hitting me, but this would be the first time someone had ever actually hit me for real. Pulling back his fist, he landed one to my face. Pulling me to my feet, he punched me repeatedly in the stomach. I could barely breathe. As he let me go, he made me face the same direction as him, kicking my ass to the floorboards. I sat there huddled over for several minutes, struggling to breathe. I looked up at him with eyes that said "Why?" and the next thing I knew, everything went black.

...

**Polo's POV**

I know Kid was pissed, but he had gone a little overboard on the boy. He had been out for several hours and a nice bruise had formed on his abdomen. He hadn't taken it easy either. Eating the devil fruit probably wasn't the best idea for the boy to have. Did he even know what it was? I heard him groan a few times until he opened his eyes, trying to get up and wincing in pain at the sore belly he now had.

"Welcome back. Kid really did a number on you." I said, supporting his back as he attempted to swing his feet over the bed and onto the floor. Putting his head in his hands and rubbing it a few times before taking his hands away from his face, he looked like a man just waking up from a hangover."You should take it easy, try to stand up slowly. You may have concussion". As he put weight onto his feet, he leant against the wall of the medical room, supporting his body as it stung with pain. As he made his way to the door, I didn't even bother to ask where he was going to now, knowing most of this crew walk out before I say that the treatment they need is done. He seemed to stop just before leaving the room, his hand on the doorknob, was he expecting me to ask him to stay and recover more? Maybe previous experience with doctors was kicking in. In any case, I let him be. Pulling the door handle, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

**Tim's POV**

I had woken up feeling like crap. My face was sore and my stomach felt like it had recently become a punching bag. I felt like shit and I probably looked like it too. The only way this would blow over is if I talk to the man who gave me these forsaken bruises. Making my way back up to the deck, I saw redhead at the front of the boat. Walking up and out of the lower decks onto the main deck, I approached Kid, slowly but surely. This had to be done.

"So, thief, you decide to push me further. Come to take something else from me?" He asked, not looking away from the ocean ahead of him as far as the eye could see.

"I am sorry about eating that fruit, I shouldn't have stolen from you." I replied. I was never really good at apologies, I was hoping for a miracle here.

"Damn straight!" He shouted, turning to face me. Grabbing me by the front of my shirt, he shook me as he shouted various questions as to the fruit's worth and what it had meant to him. Turns out that thing had been a devil fruit.

Well there goes my ability to swim.

Releasing me, I apologised again as he stormed back to his position at the head of the ship.

...

A good few days had passed since the fruit incident and I still had not figured out what it could do. I had apologised to the cook, who had been responsible for guarding it at the time and had tried many things to try and figure out what my fruit was capable of.

I felt like my hands had nothing to do. Back home in my own world I had either been gaming, eating or fussing the one of many cats I had lived with at the time. I missed those cats. Maybe that's what I was missing aboard the ship. What this ship needed was a cat. I had already seen rats in the lower decks, having a cat to keep the ship mouse free might not be a bad idea.

Posing my idea to Polo, he agreed that having a cat around might not be such a bad idea. Posing this idea to Kid, he first met the idea with some hesitance and denial, but after a few tries by Polo, he warmed up to him, giving him permission to find a cat. Though he warned he'd kill it if it pissed him off. I was happy.

...

The day after, we arrived on an island. Since my face was unknown, I went ashore, a cloak covering my head with the black bow strung across my chest. Walking into a small animals shop, I looked at the cats. There were all different kinds, I couldn't decide because they were all so cute. There were fluffy ones, long haired ones, hairless ones and a variety of bigger breeds too. I walked around the store, looking for one that might catch my eye. I turned to the store attendant asking him if these were all the cats he had. He froze. That meant he had more.

"Could you show me?" I asked, politely and in one tone. As he ran out of the main shop to a back room, he came back with a rather large muscled cat, completely black, except for its white chest and front paw socks. The cat seemed uninterested in everything around it, its eyes shut with its back in an upright position. It turned his head to look at me, glaring at me with what looked like calculative eyes. Look right back at the cat, unblinking for several minutes, the cat gave in. It turned its whole body to face me, giving a rather low meow that was almost a growl. A single scar could be seen across his right eye, most likely earned in a previous scrap.

"You can have him. I was thinking of setting him free or putting him down to be honest, none of the folks around here will take him coz he's so violent towards people who want to try and be friends with him and he hasn't been eating much at all here. No charge necessary." The shopkeeper told me, which was surprising. Maybe all the people he had tried living with were all people who weren't suited to cats. But I had lived with cats all my life, finding out what a cat wants was my specialty and once you knew that, you create a bond with it so steadfast that you feel like you will never part. Picking up the cage, I headed towards the ship. Seeing Polo on the way back, I approached him.

"Ooooh! Is that our new nakama?" He asked, crouching down to examine the cat, which with attitude turned to face the opposite direction. "I don't think he likes me." he said, looking up at me with a pouty face.

"Don't worry about that, you can work on your friendship later with him. Right now, I wanna show him to Kid. I have a feeling these two will like each other." I replied, confident in my choice of a feline companion. As I said farewell to Polo and headed back to the ship, I saw several cats on the way there. They all seemed to stare at the cat I carried, hissing and glaring at him. Some arching their backs and trying to seem bigger than him, attempting to intimidate him with territorial threats. He didn't react. Well at least there was one difference between him and Kid, the cat had a higher tolerance for insults.

Walking over the plank to the ship, I waited until everyone was back aboard the ship before letting him loose. I had wanted to let him go, but had I done so earlier, he probably would have returned to the island, leaving us without a rat catcher. He walked out of his cage in a casual manner, not a speck of fear in his facial features. I had to admit, for a cat, he had guts. As each man who was hopeless enough to attempt to pick him up got their faces clawed to shit, Kid couldn't help but laugh as they all sat wincing, holding their faces whilst Polo treated their scratches with alcohol.

"Hey! Got a name?" I asked the cat, knowing full well he couldn't answer properly.

"Nope. Never had one." The cat replied, making us the crew react in shock.

"Did that cat talk just now?" asked a crewman.

"Unless we're both going crazy, I think so dude." Replied another.

"Umm, we need to think of a name for you." I said, crossing my legs and sitting down, putting on a hard thinking face, not surprised at all by the fact the cat could speak. "How about Rin?" I suggested. It was short and had one syllable, easy to remember.

"Got nothing better?" He asked.

"Hmmm, other than Jin, Kagemaru or Raigekineko, I'm all out of ideas." I said to him.

"Guess we should stick to the simple names. Rin is good." He said, happy that someone had given him a name.

"Nice to meet you Rin. I'm Tim." I said, pointing a thumb at myself "And this is the gay guy of the group. Steer clear a him, he strange." I said, pointing to Polo.

"Wha-" Polo reacted, unsure of how to take that comment. He let it slide anyways. Rin chuckled softly.

"Wait...YOU CAN TALK?!" I finally realised.

"NO SHIT DUMB ASS!"

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Rin - I found two meanings for this. 1-a money of account of Japan, the thousandth part of a yen or the tenth part of a sen. 2 - Means "dignified, severe, cold" in Japanese. Written 凛.

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! I was on a roll and decided to go with the flow. Since the One Piece world to both the untrained eyed and the trained makes little to no sense when you think about it, I thought I'd give it something both unexpected and cute. Unexpectedly cute. It's a cat. What can I say, I have a love for cats. :3**


	28. Shooting Straight

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"NO SHIT DUMB ASS!"

**Tim's POV**

After several days had passed. I was sick and tired of being out at sea. Since I had not been able to have an opportunity to practise my archery skills, I asked the shipwright aboard to make me a target. Though it was a shoddy one, with nought but a few rings on it, my shots were almost on target every time, hitting where and enemy's heart would be. As Kid watched me put metal arrow after metal arrow into the board, he said nothing. That is, until I did what I could not do before. Getting out the wooden arrows, I shot one dead on the bulls eye, but then, I tried what I thought was the impossible for me. Getting out another arrow, I took my time with the shot. The world seemed to go quiet, the sound of the sea and the shouts of the crew became distant and nothing else in the world mattered at that moment...

...except hitting that target.

Loosing the arrow, the whole world seemed to stop. A splintering sound came to my ears like music. I had accomplished "The Robin Hood". Looking at the board, the second arrow had split the first, it's head now protruding out of the back of the wooden boarding. Kid looked astonished.

"You should see the look on your face, redhead" I said, bragging slightly at what I thought was a major achievement. I'd never pulled off that shot in my world and up until now, I'd never even attempted such a feat. Being in the presence of an intimidating Captain who constantly wants to kill you is a strong motivator. Go figure. At least it meant I was getting better at the one thing that I enjoyed most, the one thing that had gotten me off my ass back home and out of the house. Removing the one remaining undamaged arrow from the board, I disposed of the split one, keeping the seemingly unbroken metal arrowhead to reuse later. I fired arrow after arrow into the target from that point on. Having someone run with it and having the board chucked into the air, I shot it now matter how far it was away from me.

"Since you split that arrow, I haven't seen you pull of another decent shot asshole. You're not pushing yourself hard enough. You need a chance to push yourself." He said to my face, plain and simple with no emotion tied to those words, his face carrying an unimpressed expression. I hated him. I had been firing arrows constantly putting strain on the muscles in my left arm and possibly overworking them as they now felt sore.

"Captain! Marine ship spotted off the starboard bow!" Shouted a crewman from the lookout on the mast. Running to the side of the ship, Kid looked at the ship for a moment. Turning to me, he grinned widely and maliciously "Here's your chance, runt. Impress me, or you can get lost."

I was really feeling the pressure now. If I didn't pull off something good, Kid would kick me off the ship, for real. I had nowhere else to go, and nowhere was even remotely close to the ship in terms of the swimming distance for the nearby islands. I'd die before even getting halfway to them. As the marine ship came alongside, I was sweating like crazy. Would I even have the guts to mortally wound a man? Oh, wait. I know who might be a good partner in a fight. Smiling widely, I took a breath "Hey Rin!" I shouted "How about a little brawl between men?" The feline rose from his position of sleep right in the middle of the deck, running to join me.

"I was itching for a fight. Now's as good a time as any." He said looking at me, one of those mischievous cat smiles that was ever so reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat spread across his face.

"Wow, you look creepy, don't do that again. Shall we?" I asked, the marines ready to board as many waiting on the sides of the ship to storm the deck. Bending down to stroke him, I felt something feel different.

Since when do cats feel cold? Looking down, I saw an arrow with a cats tail sticking out of the back end.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO TO ME TIM?!" He shouted at me. My reaction was a little overboard but I though it necessary for a moving arrow that jumped up and down when it was shouting at me. Laughing as I held my stomach with my one free hand, I replied "You're an arrow! Bahahahaha!" I would have rolled around on the ground in pain from laughter but for the situation I was going to find my ass in. Well at least I knew what my devil fruit did now. Picking up Rin, I put him headfirst into my metal arrow quiver, his tail drooping over the end.

"TURN ME BACK NOW TIM!" I heard him shout, his words slightly muffled by the leather wall of the quiver.

"If I knew how, I would. I guess now I know what my devil fruit ability is. Seems legit but it could have been something better." I said mainly to myself, not really directing my answer towards Rin. I climbed the rigging, taking a good spot on the mast lookout. A perfect vantage point for some head shots, should I so wish to make one. Pulling an arrow out of the quiver, I slid it onto the bowstring, holding it low and not pulling the bowstring out until Kid gave the signal.

In that one moment, all hell broke loose.

Bullets flying. Swords clashing. The sound of battle inescapably in the air.

There was a shot. Taking out an arrow, I readied my shot. I had to be quick. Pulling the string back and aiming in swift succession, I let loose the arrow, hitting a young marine square in the middle of his back. He fell to the floor, motionless, the crewman who had been fighting him stepping over his body to fight another man as the waves of marines kept coming.

They began climbing the ropes. From the deck, some of the marines aimed for me as I perched on the edge of the crow's nest. Jumping into the nest, I covered my head. Guess it was time to have some fun now. Picking off one man at a time, was too slow. Slow was not my style.

Pulling out the arrow with a cats tail, Rin was completely silent.

"What?" I asked, I thought he would have at least put up more of a fuss about being used in this form.

After a moment of silence, he replied "When or if you transform me back into my normal form, I am going to claw your face up until you can't feel it!"

T - "Eeeeeesh, overreacting much?"

R - "Over reacting?! You turned me into an fucking arrow!"

T - "It was not deliberate!"

R - "Oh sure, you just happen to figure out your Devil Fruit powers at that exact moment. Shitty ability if you ask me."

T - "Will you just shut up and help me. You may be an arrow, but I am an archer, and you can do some damage if I fire you at them." I brought up my bow, pulling Rin back into the string.

"Don't you fucking dare!" He shouted.

I loosed the arrow anyway. His shouts of reluctance heard from all over the ship. The arrow spun as it went to hit its target as I pulled out another one from the quiver, my nerves running high. As I looked up from the bow, Rin had hit right between a marine's eyes, with said marine falling down dead. With a small puff of smoke, Rin reappeared in his cat form, sitting on the marines face casually where the arrow had struck him. It took him a second for him to realise where he was but he jumped off of the marines face and onto the body of another one, climbing his uniform as he proceeded to scratch out his eyes, the marine running about helplessly clutching his face. A familiar red head appeared from the crowd, a maniacal grin plastered across his face, the urge to kill obvious in his face. He punched the marine whom Rin had just scratched the eyes from, knocking him overboard.

Kid went all out, knocking marines off the ship and beating the ever loving crap out of them with his devil fruit ability, rendering their weapons completely useless. The few that remained either jumped overboard or ran back onto their ship which turned out to be a big mistake as a cannonball hit their artillery deck, setting off several explosions and leaving their ship in a fiery mess.

A cheer of victory surrounded my ears, the sound of happiness filling the air and it seemed to me that I could get used to this feeling. The comradery and the support that everyone gave each other, the feeling of family. I hadn't felt it for a long time, not since I was in my world.

Who knows, this could be the place for me and maybe, just maybe, I could become strong.

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

T and R - The T next to the speech parts signifies Tim speaking and the R signifies Rin speaking.

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! Since this viewpoint of writing the story seems a little boring to me now, and since I am relatively new to the whole writing shtick, as of the next chapter I will be telling the story from the narrators point of view and not the characters point of view to make the story seem a little less dull. I hope this is to your liking. :D**


	29. Tears of reflection

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"What? I was hungry."

...

It had been several days since Rachael had talked with Law. Though she now let him clean and bandage her wounds, she still didn't trust him and each time he did seemed like a chore to her. The pain in her head had finally gone and bumping it no longer made her feel any pain. Though she didn't let any emotion show on her face, she felt empty on the inside. She missed her friends, the feeling of uneasiness haunting her every night before she finally drifted off to sleep in the late hours of the early morning. She couldn't sleep until that time and when she did it wasn't for very long. Being an insomniac still seemed a little difficult for her to live with, with her not being one for very long. It had only been recently, when she was still in her world that she had begun to not sleep until such times, her parents objecting to doing so.

She reflected on the time she had spent with the Heart Pirates so far, and in looking back, it did seem to her as if she was freeloading. She had eaten and slept here and had done nothing in return for such hospitality. Though they were pirates, they were still fellow humans, or polar bears in Bepo's case. She thought about how to repay him, and she came up with an idea that she had a hunch that Law may possibly have come up with too.

As she felt the sub surface, she opened the exit door, coming out onto the wet deck, still barefoot, finding it more comfortable that way. She walked to the railing, leaning on it as she looked out to sea. Hearing footsteps, her ears perked up but she didn't turn around, noticing the quiet tapping of shoes on the ground. It was unmistakeably Law's footsteps.

"Here you are. You like it out here don't you? You're out here before I am most of the time." Law said, continuing "I have a proposition for you."

_(He thinks the same.)_

"Let me guess, you want me to join your crew, right?" She asked, looking at him, expressionlessly.

"How did you..." he began.

"Great minds think alike." she interjected.

They stood there looking into each other's eyes for a while, not wanting to look away until one of them blinked. Law smirked.

_(Her eyes are as blue as the sea. So beautiful yet holding so much pain. I wonder what her story is.)_

"I had a feeling you'd be more resistant to the idea. What made you change your mind?" He asked, curious of her thoughts on the matter as I leaned on the rail close to her.

"I guess you could say I don't like being a bother to people. After all, since I have been here, you've looked after me medically as well as feeding me and giving me a place to stay. Saying no would make me seem like a freeloader and I'd rather leave before doing that." She replied. Even though most of the time she seemed to others to think only of herself, she was really thinking of the wellbeing of the people she cared about. It wasn't in her nature to be heartless yet she decided not to show emotion either.

"Being a doctor, it was no trouble. I had to make sure you got better. If I'd have left you how you were on that island, you would have died." He smirked.

"I am in your debt for that, another reason to join your crew. And don't smile like that, it's creepy." She replied, looking back out to sea.

(_She has a heart of gold)_

"Don't you have family or nakama? Any home to go back to?" Law asked, curious of her past and ready to do some digging into her inner self. After all if she was to be on his crew, he ought to know her first.

"Once." She replied. One word answers, especially after questions like that were always a bad sign.

"Once?" Law asked, delicately pushing at the situation.

"Yeah. I'd rather not talk about it. Don't concern yourself, just forget I said anything."

"If it is something bothering my crew, then it is my concern. Tell me." Law said, trying not to sound too forceful.

"I said forget about it. Keep your nose out of it, Law." She replied, her voice sounding a little annoyed, her face remaining expressionless.

"You will tell me!" He shouted at her, now ordering her to tell him.

"Make me!" She shouted in his face before running back into the sub, her feet making close to no sound as she ran, her wet feet making it difficult to run.

She began to cry quietly to herself as she ran from Law, not letting her emotions make her blubber like a child. Tears ran warm down her cheeks, her insides feeling like they had just been churned like butter. Her stomach felt knotted and she didn't feel like doing anything at all. She heard the running footsteps coming from behind her but she just didn't care.

(_Go away Law, I just want to be alone_)

"Hey!" Law called from behind her. She ignored him. "What is wrong? Tell me! I can't help you unless you do."

(_I don't want your help, Law. Just go away!_)

She ignored him again. The sound of the door to the outside closing echoed through the hall. "Tell me!" He shouted, his pace quickening. Not wanting to deal with his shit right now, she broke into a sprint, her tears spread to the wind as she ran. Finding her room, which was one of the rehab infirmary rooms, she slammed the door shut and locking it from the inside. Jumping onto the bed and crawling into the corner, she brought her legs up to her chest and hugged them. Her sense of insecurity taking over and her feeling of not wanting to talk to anyone kept growing, uncomfortable on so many levels.

Law cut the door down, entering the room with the nodachi swung over his shoulder. She looked up at him, crying angrily. "Stay away!" She shouted, only succeeding in making the tears flow more. Tightening her arms around her legs, she continued to scowl at him through teary eyes.

(_Why are you such a dick, Law?! Just go away! I want to be alone, why can't you understand that?)_

"So, you gonna tell me or am I going to have to get answer out of you somehow?" He asked, his eyes closed. Opening them as he heard her get off the bed, his opening eyes met with her fist. He dropped his nodachi, stumbling backwards, taken by surprise at the suddenness of her actions and the strength of her punch. She ran past him into the maze of corridors in the submarines

(_You win this one_)

"What a jerk!" She shouted to herself. Shachi and Penguin must have heard her as they came running out of the food hall to meet her.

"Hey, you ok?" Shachi and Penguin asked in unison. She stormed past them both. Looking at each other and then back at Rachael as she walked off.

She walked for a good few hours around the sub until it resurfaced, giving her space to breathe and time to reflect on what she had said and done.

(_I'm still just a child at heart. Fragile, frail and scared. When will I ever grow up?_ _I punched Law for fucks sake, what is the matter with me? Why do I act like I do around him?_)

Hearing those familiar footsteps, each quiet tap on the floor seemed like loud bangs, chipping away at my heart like an emotional chisel being hit with a mallet.

(_Perhaps I had pushed her too hard. She had cried but her eyes were angry, not sad. Was I the reason she had cried?_ _Had I made something within her snap?_)

"You push too hard, you know that?" She said, her voice straining to stay normal, a side effect of holding in the tears.

"Why won't you tell me? I am your Captain now, and that means you can tell me anything. The wellbeing of my crew is my priority, so having one of them unhappy for a reason I cannot comprehend worries me. Besides, that punch to the face was nothing to sneeze at. You have something bottled up in there, buried deep and untouched." The surgeon noted, being a master of the human body and some of its behaviours.

"And I'd prefer it to stay that way." She said, turning around. This time, Law hadn't got his nodachi with him. She looked him dead in the eyes, her reddened eyes intently focused on his grey ones. "I am only going to say this once, Law. Don't ask where I came from."

"Why?" He asked simply, wondering as to her motives.

"Because it is better if you don't know."

(_Yet)_

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

_Italics_ \- Shows what the character is thinking

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! I hope you liked the new chapter. Let me know if there was too much dialogue, because I definitely think there was a fair amount. Law had it coming to him. :P More developments to come in chapter 30! So don't go anywhere...**


	30. Scrambled eggs?

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"Because it is better if you don't know."

(_Yet)_

...

Law: (_Why does she want to keep her origins a secret? Does she not want to remember? Or could it be that where she came from was the reason for her outburst of angry tears the other day? Either way, getting it out if her won't be easy._)

Lunchtime came around and everyone congregated in the food hall, with Rachael sat between Bepo and Penguin. Taking a seat opposite her at the table, Law watched as she was given Roast Pork made in a honey sauce, with bean sprouts and egg fried rice, a particular favourite of hers he found out. Eating it with gusto, she waited until Bepo had finished eating, leaning against him and snuggling against him. Soon after, she fell asleep, breathing loudly but not snoring. Law watched as she slept as Bepo kept her upright.

"Captain, are you sure it was the right choice for her to join the crew?" Bepo asked, never questioning Law's motives, but still confused by his actions sometimes.

"I don't regret it. Besides, there's something about her that I want to find out" The surgeon replied, watching her a moment as she slept, then ordering Bepo to stay with her until she awoke again, relieving him of his duties for now and ordering Shachi and Penguin to take over the navigation for a while.

As everyone left the food hall to return to their duties, Bepo did as Law had asked of him. As his Captain returned to his quarters, most likely to read up on human anatomy and physiology, Bepo sat there with Rachael leaned up against his side. Pulling her legs in, he hugged her to keep her warm as she slept. She turned towards the source of snuggable heat in her sleep, drooling slightly.

"You look cute when you sleep. Are you sure you weren't a polar bear in a past life?" Bepo asked her sleeping form, knowing she wouldn't answer.

"I already ttttttold yooo, I wasnnn a freakn polaaaaaaaaa berr." She shlurred in her sleep. Bepo gasped in surprise. She could sleep talk.

"Do you even know you're asleep right now?" He asked, hoping her sleeping conversation with him would continue.

"Haaaaaaaaah, what joo sayyyeeee? I mnot shleeeping." She made a bunch of illegible words after saying what Bepo thought she's said. He smiled, leaving it at that but knowing that he had something to tell the Captain later.

It was several hours later when Rachael lazily and sluggishly awoke, her sleepy senses locking onto the bathroom as she leapt out of Bepo's huge, warm arms and rushed in a tired run out into the corridor.

Law heard her pass his door, looking out as he saw her reach the bathroom next to his living quarters. She must not have noticed him as she didn't give him a glance at all. Looking in the direction she had come, he saw Bepo exit the food hall.

"Did she sleep ok?" Law asked, wondering if she dreamt at all, knowing some people don't.

"I don't think she dreamt, but she talked in her sleep. It was very shlurred though, almost as if she was drunk." Bepo replied, he couldn't hold this information from this Captain even if he wanted to, he was too kind for that. Hearing the toilet flush and the sound of running water from the sink, Law came to meet her outside the bathroom.

(_Interesting to know that my new crew man can talk in her sleep. Does she knows that she can do that herself?_)

Opening the door, she saw Law standing there. Still in her sleepy mood she said "Excuse me". As Law moved, she went back to her room, changing into a baggy black T-shirt that had the Heart Pirates insignia on the front in yellow, formerly belonging to Bepo since he had let her use it until they reached an island where she could get some clothes.

As Bepo returned to his duties as navigator in the control room, Law waited outside her room whilst she changed. He heard her sing softly and quietly to herself.

"In the town where I was born,  
Lived a man who sailed to sea,  
And he told us of his life,  
In the land of submarines.

So we sailed on to the sun,  
Till we found a sea of green,  
And we lived beneath the waves,  
In our yellow submarine.

We all live in a yellow submarine,  
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine.  
We all live in a yellow submarine,  
Yellow submarine, yellow submarine"

He smirked, liking the song.

Leaving her normal jeans on, she left her room and saw Law standing there as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. For a moment, it took her a moment to register he was there until Law finally said something.

"Nice song." The surgeon smirked, cockily.

Looking away from him, her eyes went distant, replying blankly "Thanks."

"You know, you talk in your sleep." He said, the smirk growing as if to mock her.

"I know. Been doing that recently, it hasn't been a lifetime thing. Although there was that time before I could speak fluently when I was conscious that I talked fluently in my sleep as a child. Guess that it came back, huh." She said, unsurprised by her randomness. His attempt at mocking her had gone right over her head as his face went from a mocking smirk to a slight grimace. She was a little too carefree.

"Hey. Now you're a member of the crew, you'll get a tattoo." the surgeon of death said, smirking widely, making him look a bit creepy.

"Eh?! What of?" She replied, guessing what was coming next anyway.

"The jolly roger. Unless you'd rather wear the giant orange or white jumpsuits that the rest of the crew wear?"

"Hell no! I'd roast in those! Not to mention, it's the biggest crime in trending history. Seriously, why would you put something as cuddly as Bepo in a jumpsuit? And why the hell did you pick orange?" She replied, making her objection to wearing a jumpsuit quite obvious in the process.

"Shall we then?" He said indicating towards his office.

Nodding, she closed the door to her room, following him to his office where he instructed her to wait on the bed whilst he got the tattooing equipment.

_I have to admit, I am a little nervous. Well, this IS the first tattoo I have ever had. I just hope I am doing the right thing. At least here, I am free to make decisions and not have to listen to my parents nag on at me when I screw up. Screwing up was what I did best after all._

Law came back carrying the tattooing equipment. He got out the gun, readying it with the correct ink and asked Rachael where she wanted it. Indicating her right shoulder, he cleaned it thoroughly before beginning the process. She watched as the insignia of the Heart Pirates was emblazoned onto her skin and she watched as Law concentrated on making it flawless. It took 3 hours to finish but once he had, it was well worth it. She looked at the new insignia, smirking similar to how Law did usually, thinking to herself.

_I hadn't felt any pain at all. My pain threshold must have gone up again after my head injury._

"Try not to bash against anything or touch it for the next few days, that part of your skin will be sore for a while." He ordered. Typical doctor.

"Aye!" she said, getting up off the bed and letting the shirt cover her new tattoo. Going to the food hall, she saw no one. Remembering that Shachi had gotten her something before by asking the chef after shouting through the hatch, she walked up to it.

"Umm, hello?" She called out, not too loudly for the whole sub to know.

"Hello again. Glad to see you. What can I get you for breakfast?" The cook asked. He was polite, I wondered why Shachi had treated him so poorly before.

"I don't suppose you have any hot chocolate do you?" She asked. She never ate breakfast and when she did, most of the time it wasn't cereal since she had never really liked the stuff unless it was sugar infused.

"Nope sorry, but if you'd like, I'll keep a note to get some next time we make port and I restock." The cook replied.

"That'd be great! If you get some milk chocolate too that would be fantastic. I haven't had any in ages and my blood sugar is running on empty here." she replied.

_My sweet tooth needs to be satiated. I can't live without chocolate, it is my life. I tried to but it was no use, I just couldn't give it up._

"Hot chocolate and milk eating chocolate. Anything else?" He asked, writing it down on a piece of paper.

"No thanks. Though since you don't have hot chocolate, do you mind making me a cooked breakfast?" She asked, in the mood for something small.

"Sure. What would you like?" The cook asked.

"Scrambled eggs please. With a little tomato sauce." she kindly replied, turning around and sitting on a bench close the hatch.

"Coming right up." the cook replied, turning to start on the eggs.

"I'll have the same." She heard Law from behind her.

"Wha-?" She asked surprised. _In the anime, you rarely saw Law eat. Was it just not shown?_

She turned to see him standing there without a shirt on. She hid her eyes with a hand.

"What are you doing?" he asked, a little confused as to her behaviour.

"Put a shirt on." She said, not taking her hand away from her eyes.

_Can't say those abs didn't look bad though. Can tell he works out a bit, but he's skinny as a twig._

"I don't wear tops if I have a shower, let's me cool off for breakfast." He said, like it was nothing. Probably was.

"Guess that means I have to live with it then." She said, removing her hand from her face to look up at the half naked Trafalgar.

"Order up!" The cook said, placing their plates on the hatch ledge, looking at them both before returning to the kitchen. As they sat down with their plates, Rachael downed hers swiftly.

_It's as if this girl has never been fed before._

"I was thinking of what I could do to defend myself earlier. Most of your crew seems to fight on hand to hand combat and I am all for that having a little experience in it myself, but having an alternate offense would be a useful asset. I am going to need money to buy a ninja blade, a good one."

"Good plan, but wouldn't a katana be a better choice? And until we reach shore again, you can use the main hall of the sub to train in hand to hand combat. You have the choice of sparring partners aboard."

"A katana is too long for close combat for me. I've never even handled a blade. It's true, it does give a longer reach and one day I may learn to use it, but learning to control a smaller blade can require more skill depending on the user since it is smaller and easier to control. Attacking without the enemy knowing you are there is a valuable skill to possess." She said, getting up and returning her plate to the hatch as she offered her thanks to the chef. She walked out.

"Where you going?" Law asked as she seemed to ignore him as she walked out, seemingly forgetting he was there.

"Nowhere special. I can't exactly go anywhere when we're submerged. Besides, I'm going to find a good sparring partner. The sooner I start my training the better." She replied, slightly annoyed at his stupid question, originally judging him to be smarter than that.

Law smirked as she walked out, her footsteps silent as the flight of owls, making close to no noise at all. He was liking her more as the days went by.

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Yellow Submarine - a song sung by The Beatles - watch?v=Kr2KkRzS8lE

**Thanks for Reading! Please Review! Rachael is now part of the crew. She's received the jolly roger tattoo as proof of undying loyalty to Law meaning she is now bound to his crew.**


	31. Living the dream

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

Law smirked as she walked out, her footsteps silent as the flight of owls, making close to no noise at all. He was liking her more as the days went by.

...

Several weeks passed. They had come ashore on an island which specialised in weapons. The crew restacked on artillery such as guns and ammo but Rachael had been more interested in getting a ninja blade for herself. After she had found a pricy but decent blade that Law had bought for her, she had spent the remainder of her time, when she was either not eating or sleeping, practising how to use it. As well as keeping up on her hand-to-hand combat skills training, she had learned a fair amount about the various crew members. What their areas of expertise were and how they used them in battle together. She realised that what Law had said about the majority of the crew knowing hand-to-hand combat and hardly anything else was true, since only a few of them knew how to handle a katana, though the majority knew how to fire a gunpowder loaded pistol.

She didn't like guns much. The sound they made and the various bad things she had seen happen at the hands of a gun in this world when she had seen the anime, it had given her a big distrust of guns as well as doubting her judgement of using one. Shank's lesson that guns aren't for threats, that they were for actions was a principle that she stuck by and for all these reasons, never picked up a gun, even though the crew attempted to persuade her many a time to use one.

Since receiving the mark of the jolly roger, she had gained another tattoo, not really fussed by the fact that a small handheld tattoo gun would be imprinting on her skin. She had gotten a Yin-Yang symbol tattooed on her left upper arm, a nine tailed fox within it, inked in with red. She had liked her creative design and wore it with pride, much like the jolly roger, unforgettably imprinted onto her body, reminding her of her sworn loyalty to the Heart Pirates, to Law. She had grown fond of him, but she needed to see more of this world and she needed to face some real danger to test her skills.

Walking into his office and closing the door, she now confronts him.

"Law, I need to speak with you about something." She said, knowing this would not be easy.

"I'm listening." He replied, his usual smirk nowhere in sight as his face became serious.

"I was wondering if you would be able to give me a leave of absence from the crew." She replied, getting the first big hurdle off her chest.

"What? Where did this-" He began but was cut off by her.

"I need to see the world, I need to experience real battles to test my skills and I need to meet new people. The only way for me to do that is for me to leave for a while. Not a very long time, just long enough to experience things for myself. I hope you understand my reasons."

"I can't say I'm happy about the idea of letting my most recently recruited crewman go gallivanting around by herself, but if it's what you want."

"Alright. I'll go get my stuff ready to go." She replied happily, turning to go but stopped as Law spoke again.

"There'll be conditions though." He added.

She frowned, knowing he would either be enforcing protective or curious conditions in. "And they would be?" She asked.

"First, you will have to meet back up with us at a specific location of my choosing at a certain time. And Second, you must tell me of your past and why you feel so moved when you talk or think about it. Why it hurts."

"Well shit. Guess I have no choice now, do I?" She asked no one in particular, her eyes looking at the floor.

"These conditions are non-negotiable if you wish to leave. You realise it won't be easy out there right?"

"Hmmm. Alright. But I will tell you and no one else. No one else can know where I come from, at least not yet. Got it?"

"Fine with me."

"And I wouldn't mind meeting up in an arranged time and place. Seems fair enough. Want me to tell you my story now or later?"

"I can do now. I was running out of material to read actually." He said, smirking.

Sitting down on his bed in the small but cosy room, it suddenly felt as if the room was suffocating her with its sudden seemingly gloomy atmosphere.

"Let's start with how you met me then."

Law looked surprised. How he had met her was on an island after he had seen her flying through the sky. He immediately looked curious and his face concentrated, intent on hearing this.

"Before I crash landed on that island. I had been walking back to my house. I wouldn't exactly have called it a home. An enormous storm had been brewing that night and when I had gotten inside, it had rained lightning as frequent as rain. What's wierd was that as the lightening got closer, not only did it shake my room, everything had begun to spin and go fuzzy and then black. The next moment, I was soaring above the sea, flying through the air, which is probably when you saw me the first time since I saw your submarine at the time. The second time was when you found me unconscious and on the brink of death."

"Okay so now you clarified that for me, what about the rest of your past?"

"Well, in short, I didn't come from this world."

Law gasped in shock slightly.

"The reason I can't talk about where I come from is because where I come from, this world is an anime, ummm, an entertainment to watch, much like actors using visual transponder snails to make entertainment only this animated for the sole purpose of broadcasting. I know what has happened in the past. From Gol. execution, to the current day. It's not specific, but it did cover the biggest events in this worlds history, which I cannot spoil for you if you were going to ask questions. It even covered some characters back-stories who were relevant to the storyline, including yours, Law."

Law didn't speak, still astonished by what he was hearing.

"As for my personal past, the reason I keep what you call "something" deep inside me, is because if I look back, it hurts. My parents separated when I was very young and since then my life has been nothing but conflicts between family members. After giving birth to me and my brother, they no longer loved one another and my mother could no longer trust my father. I became a cowardly, selfish and food obsessed kid. I became frail of mind and lacked the motivation to do anything. I was bullied throughout primary and secondary school for being the bookworm, the nerd of the class. I read numerous piles of books upon books, burying my head somewhere where it couldn't be made fun of with words. Eventually, I no longer spoke to my brother and I moved to my father's before reaching College. I guess the reason why I have something buried deep within is because all that emotion I vented as a kid, prevents me from doing so now. I remember that anytime I voiced my opinion or did what I wanted, I was shouted at for giving attitude or for offending someone. I struggled to find out who I was. Since then, to prevent my genetic flaw, which makes me cry from anger or frustration, from rearing its ugly head, I buried my emotions. I made my face less readable by showing the world less expression. I may be emotionless, but heartless is something I will never be."

Law had been listening intently this whole time. Finally moving his mouth to talk, he said "One hell of a back-story. Seems your life has been a sea of torment, just like mine has been."

"Compared to your life, Law, mine is miniscule and tame in comparison. It is a boring world I come from, and given the choice, I wouldn't go back there. However, I had friends back in that world. And bringing them here, would have to be my greatest and craziest wish for them right about now. They would have had the time of their lives here and it's just a shame that you cannot meet them, since I know one in particular would have loved to have met you. Besides, I'd rather be here, than back at my house. I'd call it a house because it was not a home for me. My stepmother mistreated me, my father always took her side. At one point I had hated all three people who had even tried to call themselves parents to me. So killing myself was something I contemplated many a time."

"Good thing you didn't or I'd be a crewman short." He said, the oh so familiar smirk returning to his fact. Smiling, she left to get her few belongings together, finding her clothes folded neatly in a pile on her bed, smelling freshly dried. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a photograph of herself, along with Timi, Tim, Rebecca and David in the picture, all pulling funny faces at the camera. She smiled, returning it to her pocket and remembering the good times she had with them.

_I remember when I accidentally forgot to meet Timi in the right place and she gave me those evil eyes that can kill people. She was scary that day. And the day Tim forgot to get up in time for bowling and we had to wait an hour for him at the alley. The time David had troubles with his computer and had to use his laptop until he got a new part to start it up with which made him incredibly moody. The days Rebecca and me spent together and the sleepovers we had. I miss those days. But maybe, just maybe, I can make friends here who are just as much of a family to me as they were._

Bepo had given her a canvas rucksack. It wasn't much but it was enough to carry what she needed. Strapping her ninja blade around her waist with a black belt, she slipped the bag onto her back. Feeling the submarine surface again, she walked past the food hall towards the door to the outside. She heard Shachi, Penguin, Bepo and the rest of the crew run out from behind her, the numerous feet pummelling the floor sending vibrations through the metal. She felt Shachi and Penguin hug her legs.

"Don't go, Rachael!" Shachi shouted, hanging off her right ankle.

"We don't want you to go!" Penguin shouted from her left ankle.

She felt the white fuzz of Bepo give her a bear hug (literally) from behind.

"I don't want you to go either!" He cried, making her baggy top wet. The remainder of the crew were in tears behind her but she didn't turn to look at them. Pulling along the combined weight of two men and a polar bear, as she was quite strong, she exited the sub into the open air. She had asked for a windsurfing board to be made for her a couple of weeks back and had asked to be given a log pose. Putting the log pose on her wrist and jumping aboard the board, she pulled the sail up, catching the wind and beginning her journey.

"Hey!" She heard Law shout from behind her. She turned her head around to look at him, keeping her hand firmly on the boom. "Come back alive. Take this, I'll contact you when we'll meet again." He said, throwing a transponder snail to her. Catching it, she nodded, turning her full attention to her sail.

Noting the winds direction and checking the position of the log pose, she began her journey on the Grand Line.

**Vocab Translations and meanings:**

Boom - The bar on a wind sail used to set the position of the sail. It is used to turn, reverse or stop the board, depending on how it is positioned.

**Rachael now sets out to have adventures of her own. Though she misses her friends, she's adamant to make new ones. Little does she know, the friends she seemingly left behind, are right around the corner. Read on to find out what happens next. Thanks for Reading! Please leave a review if you liked it or hated it and tell me what I may be able to include in future chapters. Thanks for being patient with me up until now. :D**


	32. Felt down to the bones

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"I do believe I am Jack Skellington! NOICE!"

...

Many weeks had passed since the Rumbar Pirates had died. Rebecca had not liked the smell of decomposition but the thought of throwing even one of her crewmates overboard into the sea seemed harsh and she couldn't build up the nerve to do so. She walked around the deck, remembering what each member had said to her during the party they had thrown in honour of her joining the crew. How one had offered to teach her the violin and another had wanted to teach her the cello, but it was how she had told them that she wanted to learn how to play a viola, a smaller version of a violin that had really surprised them. They had found her a viola and had taught her the basics.

Whilst she had spent this time alone, she had practised on the viola, both in memory of her comrades and her determination to get better. She knew Brook's soul would return in a year, so in that year she felt she had to learn to play the viola and how to control her devil fruit powers. She was a pile of bones now, just as Brook would be. She found out what techniques she could use, such as the dark magnetism "spell" as she called it, which allowed her the ability to summon certain items to her. She fashioned a staff out of the wood in the supply deck, implementing a dark purple cat's eye gem in the top that she had found 'lying around' in the storage deck with the treasure. Liking her creative design, she practised creating more techniques as the months went on.

Until...

"Agh! Wha! Where am I? Where is this?" She heard someone shout. So he had finally returned. Time to play.

"Boo!" She said, putting her hands on his shoulders and making him jump a mile, making her laugh so hard she grasped at where her lungs and stomach used to be.

"What are you?!" He seemed to almost scream at the top of his voice.

"I think you mean 'Who' am I? Don't you recognise me Brook? You saw me transform before you died." She replied, knowing this was not going to be easy to explain to him.

Recalling back to when he had played Binks Sake and fallen off his piano stool as he grew unable to move, he did recall seeing an ominous aura coming from Rebecca's then-dead body before he himself had died. He looked around, seeing the decomposed remains of his crew.

"Rebecca?" He asked, now sure it was her.

"The one and only. How was your trip back, Brook? Took you a year to be resurrected. I was beginning to wonder if you would come back at all."

"I wasn't able to find my body. It was strange. I was separate from my body, as a soul, yet I knew I wasn't part of this world. I found it again, as you see, but it seems I was too late to be resurrected back in my original human form. Seems I'll have to live with it." He said, a little unhappy at his current state.

"Hey. It's not all bad being a skeleton. For one thing, if someone stabs you or tries to injure you, they can't pierce your internal organs, right? Not to mention you retained your afro of fabulousness."

"Right. I've been meaning to ask. How come you haven't given the crew a funeral yet? They're in the exact places they fell the day we died."

She turned her bony head to look at the ground with her now nonexistent eyes "I couldn't. I didn't want to give them a sea burial since they deserve more than that. I just couldn't summon the nerve to move the bones of my nakama, not alone. So I knew you would return in a year and waited until now."

"You knew?" He asked, slightly confused.

"I'll explain how later." She replied, leaning on one arm that held on to her staff.

"OK. I'll get to constructing some coffins. Our nakama deserve a proper burial." He said, heavy heartedly as he looked around once more at his fallen comrades who he knew he would never see again.

Several hours passed until Brook emerged from the interior of the ship. Looking up, even though he had no skin or eyes to show expression on his face with, she knew what was to be done next. "It's time, he said. Walking to the closest corpse and picking up every last bone he could find of them. Carrying them inside, he put their bones in one of three big coffins. Rebecca did the same, having the coffins filled with a few hours with all their fallen comrades. When every last remain had been put into the coffins, Brook shut the lids and nailed them down. Rebecca stood outside, crying her eyes out, her grief stricken self a projection of how Brooks heart was feeling (if he had a heart that is, yohohoho!). He closed the door on the now sealed coffins and went to the piano. He picked up the tone dial that was still sat atop the grand instrument. Opening his skull where there was an old scar, he put the dial inside. Rebecca stood there open mouthed, amazed at seeing that for the first time.

_Amazing! I can't believe I just saw that. I thought he only did that in the Thriller Bark Arc part of the anime. Although, now I think about it, he had to get it in there somehow for him to get it back out again._

The air around them was dark and thick with fog. Jumping up onto the poop deck, Rebecca turned the wheel.

"Hey, we'll turn, don't touch it!" He ordered.

"During the battle, the rudder was broken. Sorry to tell you this, but we're stranded. The only thing we can do now is hope the wind carries us somewhere that we can make port, Captain." She said, stopping the wheel from turning and holding onto the handles. Looking ahead, she remembered when she had steered the ship under the instruction of the navigator, enjoying herself greatly and laughing as the crew had played cheerful music. The memories as clear in front of her eyes as if it were really there. She smiled but then as the ghosts of her memories faded, she became depressed, remain quiet.

"Call me Brook from now on, Rebecca. Since everyone on this ship died including us, I have no right to be called a Captain of this ship any longer."

"Right." She said.

_Well my time as a crewman of Rumbar was short lived._

"I guess it's about time I told you how I knew you would come back. You may want to brace yourself, since I do have a bit of an unbelievable back story to tell." Sitting down on the poop deck and laying her staff down, Brook joined her with a cup of tea in hand.

"Simply put, I am not from this world. I was sent here through mysterious circumstances and back in my world, this world exists as an anime. It's...how do I put it...an entertainment series based in animation, which is basically lifelike interpretations of drawings brought to life through technology for us to watch. I know you are going to ask, why didn't I warn you beforehand of the attack on the crew, am I right?"

"Yes. You could have saved them. Why didn't you save them, Rebecca?" He asked, his bony face showing a slight sign of both annoyance and sadness.

"Unfortunately, I have to let history take its course here. If I had saved the crew, you will never meet who you need to in about 50 years from now. It is essential that you did so or this world would have been thrown out of balance and the world would be a darker place. In the future you meet a man. A most extraordinary man, and that man will become your Captain. I can't tell you who it is but when the time comes, you will know who he is." She answered, trying her hardest not to spoil the events of the future that she knew he would enjoy.

"So the reason you wouldn't save them is because you couldn't. You didn't want to upset the events of the future so you had to watch it happen all over again." He said, pitying her slightly.

"Believe me, it was not an easy choice. Watching the slaughter of the crew a second time, only this time being part of the Rumbar Pirates final song, I was happy." She said, smiling a small smile as she remembered beginning to sing Binks' Brew with the whole crew before she passed out and died. After that had been a blur. She remembered standing up and reaching out to Brook as he died, seeing her skeletal hand and finding out what she had become shortly after.

As time passed, the weeks melted into months...and then into years. They had both passed the time with making music, with Brook teaching her to play the viola. He had been able to accomplish a 45 degree lean against the ships taller walls. Soon enough 45 years had passed and the ship had sailed through the dark fog eventually reaching a large island, which Rebecca noticed only as Thriller Bark.

_I don't know whether to feel overjoyed or worried to be here. This is home to one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gecko Moria, who has the ability to take shadows from people and with the help of Doctor Hogback is able to create zombies and use those shadows for reanimation. Anywhere's better than on board this ship I guess, I have been aboard for over 35 years with no hope of seeing land at all. Even Thriller Bark looks a tempting place to reach for now, how desperate for land I have become over the years._

"Hey Brook, I am going to try to sleep for a bit. I'll be below deck if you need me. Are you going to sleep too? You won't be any good if enemies come at you when you're tired." She asked of him. Though he was the only one she had spent the last 45 years of her life with, she treated him much like she would anyone else she cared about, though she did think that maybe, just maybe there was room for a little more than friendship between them. Going below deck, she threw herself on her futon, falling asleep after lying awake for what to her seemed like hours, though to the outside world was more like 20 minutes. That night, she dreamt of the events she had seen from the anime of Thriller Bark. From when Brooks shadow got stolen, to when he had joined Luffy's crew. Suddenly, her dream took a turn for the worst. The bad moments of the Thriller Bark arc came rushing into her head like a never ending storm. Brooks mangled body from fighting Ryuuma, the remainder of the Straw Hats all lying unconscious whilst Zoro tried his best to defeat Kuma, resulting in him becoming severely injured from the amount of pain he had to absorb from Luffy's body. Pain, blood, Nami's scream. The sound of it mixed with her own as she awoke. Brook came running in, his cane in his hand ready for battle.

"Rebecca! Are you ok?" He asked, worried for her.

Panting and sweating she replied "I'm ok. It was a bad dream. A really bad dream."

"Do you...want me to stay with you until you fall asleep again?" He asked, feeling the question itself to be a little awkward. But after 45 years at sea with only Rebecca as a companion to pass the time, he was sure she wouldn't mind. As if to answer his question, she moved to one side of the futon as Brook lay his cane on the floor and snuggled next to her. Putting his arms around her, her quick breathing soon slowed again and she fell back into the realm of sleep, with Brook following from her example.

The next morning, they both awoke looking into each other's eyes, their arms around one another and their bodies close. Two undead enjoying the contact of each other's bodies, never once grimacing at the feeling of bare bones under their flesh free fingers. They touched their heads together, looking into where each other's eyes would be.

"You're beautiful, Rebecca. These last 45 years...I wouldn't have wanted to spend it with anyone else but you." Brook said, running his hand over her bare skull onto what little hair was left in her plate.

She had no idea what to say. She felt a feeling in her chest where her heart would have been.

Was this...love?

**Thanks for Reading! Please leave a review if you liked it or hated it and tell me what I may be able to include in future chapters. **


	33. Beginners Luck

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

Was this...love?

...

She awoke in his arms. Though there was no skin or blood to give him warmth, she still felt warmth in a way. The way he made her feel, it was indescribable.

_For two skeletons to have such a love, would it even work? I was never one for love, but I guess there is only one way to find out._

She thought to herself as she managed to cuddle deeper into Brook's arms. Was what she was doing right? Would things be able to work between them, knowing how the future would plan out the way she did? She stared at the slowly rotting ceiling, listening to the creak of the ship as it rocked from side to side in the harbour of the island. Suddenly, the creaking stopped and the boat stood still. She knew something was wrong, and so did Brook as he rose from his sleep, grabbing his cane. Grabbing her staff, they both ran outside. Looking up, they saw what looked like cobwebs entwined around the sails, holding it in place. She grit her teeth in annoyance, knowing exactly what had left it there for them. She knew it was time. Running inside to grab her few belongings, putting them in a satchel bag, she took her staff and nose dived overboard.

"Spectral Levitation!" She yelled. She lifted up from her nose dive, floating over the sea and towards Thriller Bark.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Brook yelled, jumping overboard and using his advantage of light weight, sprinted across the water like a lizard capable of skimming on a pond's surface. Reaching the island, they came to dark forest, covering the majority of the island. After a good deal of walking, they came across something quite strange. A three headed dog stood in their path.

"Oh my, a three headed dog. You don't see that every day." Brook said, stopping in his tracks.

"Aww, he's cute." Rebecca tried to run up to the dog to hug it but it flinched in terror, the sight of a skeleton freaking it out a bit. "Hey, there's no need to be afraid ya know. I'm not going to hurt you. I just wanna hug you and squeeze you and rub my face in your fur, coz you're so fluffy!" She took baby steps until eventually Cerberus let her touch him. She scratched all three of it's heads, making them all want more attention. Even though she was all bone, they all licked her face. She laughed as the long, rough tongues tickled her face.

"That is, if you had a face." Brook said, making a joke similar to how he did when he referenced to a body part he didn't have.

"Now that was uncalled for. I know I don't have skin or organs anymore but that was unnecessary." She said, now sat atop the three headed dog.

"How on earth did you get up there?!" He called, surprised at her friendliness to the three headed dog.

"He let me on. Besides, it's not his fault that he's a zombie." She said.

"Wait...HE'S A ZOMBIE! AAAAAAAAGGGHHH!" Brook screamed, running off at an incredible speed.

"Wait, Brook!" She called after him, but it was too late. "Well, I let that one slip. I've gotta be more careful about that. Not that I hold it against your or anything boy. Who's so cute..." She scratched Cerberus between his shoulder blades, making his faces a picture of happiness, even if one of them was a fox and not a dog head.

She knew who resided on this island and she hated the man and what he did. Who he worked with and what he will do in the future made her nonexistent stomach turn. Doctor Hogback was enough of an asshole to land him prison for the rest of his life or even executed. He took people and animals apart, mixed up the parts and put them back together ready for Gecko Moria's devil fruit ability to implant them with shadows.

Gecko Moria.

Just the sound of his name was enough to make her angry. Her orb glowed, sensing her rage shooting a ray of light towards where Moria resided. As it pointed to his building, she stared up at it, scowling as she did so. "Hey boy, shall we try to find Brook? I think we scared him a little bit."

Cerberus ran off happily with tongues flying in the wind and eyes screwed up in happiness. It had found a friend in her and let her ride on his back as he went running off in the direction Brook had gone.

(Several days later)

What she had thought would take her a few hours had now taken her a few days. She had slept on Cerberus's back and had held on whilst her hunger grew. The sound of a rumbling stomach could be heard, even though she didn't have one, which confused Cerberus greatly. She couldn't take it anymore. Heading back to the ship, knowing there might be some food supplies left, she asked Cerberus to return her to the harbour. Once there, she jumped off of his back, leaning one hand against his leg as she laid her eyes upon the sea.

When she looked around, the worst possible thing had happened. The ship was nowhere to be seen, along with Brook. She pieced two and two together. Brook was gone, and it would be 5 years until she saw him again.

When the Straw Hats would arrive.

(5 YEARS LATER)

She had honed her skills, made new friends and learned how to find her way around Thriller Bark in the last five years. In her sorrow of not being with Brook though, she had kept a diary. Her most recent insert read as follows:

"_Dear Diary,  
I can't believe it's been five years already. More and more crews are being marooned here and their shadows are being stolen to be implanted into zombies. I bring them to the forest to give them shelter but I wish I could do more. Though I still have my own shadow, it could only be a matter of time before they catch me. I feel so weak. I still don't have full control of my abilities but what I have learned so far, I am confident, will keep those haters away. For now, all I can do is wait until Brook returns. The five years he spent in this foggy region of the sea honing his skills to beat Ryuuma, I know, won't be enough but at least this time, he brings help with him. Perhaps soon, I could meet the people I have been wanting to see the most since I came here. Meeting Luffy would be sweet and nuzzling in Chopper's fur is something I have longed to do. But anyway, I guess I should go now. My rescued comrades require my help with something and I can't keep them waiting._

_Until next time,_

_Rebecca."_

She slid the pen into the side of the notebook where there was a small pocket for it, closing the yellow, parchment-like pages together. She heard a scream and immediately stored her diary away using one of her abilities as it went up in a puff of black smoke, sending it to a pocket dimension. Her staff appeared as the diary had left, in black smoke. As she swung it about a bit, behind her back, into the air and in circles in her hands, she saw the sails of the Thousand Sunny appear at the harbour.

_As much as I want to meet Brook again and the rest of the Straw Hats, I have to bide my time. If I meet them too soon, it could change the course of history. I must ensure I don't meet them yet. Maybe if I meet them afterwards at the feast, that would be ok._

She watched from the sheltered leaves of a tall tree as the Straw Hats disembarked onto the floating island, whose origins lied in the West Blue. She saw the Mini-Merry get swept inland, where Tony Tony Chopper, Nami and Usopp got thrown overboard. The giant web stuck the Sunny fast, along with Brooks ship. Seeing him skate across the water at high speed made her heart jump. How long it had been since she last saw him do that. She laid her hand over where her heart would have been.

_I've missed you, so very much. Brook._

Climbing down the tree, she returned to where the people whose shadows had been taken were. She had made a base of operations, of sorts, for them to stay whilst they found a way to get their shadows back. Relaying the information that the Straw Hats had arrived, they were overjoyed that someone string had arrived to save them. Several people's shadow had already come back to them as they jumped up and down, celebrating that they could once again walk out into the sun. As they rejoiced, Rebecca looked off into the distance at Moria's room in the huge mansion with what would have been scowling eyes.

She wanted him gone.

As the forest's residents moved out to see if they could find the Straw Hats covertly, she led them to various locations, splitting them up into groups and ordering them to regroup should one of them find Luffy. A couple of days passed and the Straw Hats were picked off one by one. First Sanji, then Zoro and finally Luffy. Even Robins shadow was taken during their battle with Moria. As all hope seemed lost, she watched from the rubble as the Straw Hats fell one by one, until he appeared. Luffy stood there, big and blue.

_Nightmare Luffy!_

He beat the ever loving crap out of both Oars and Moria as she watched in awe of his skill in using his abilities. The Gum-Gum Fruit truly was the right fruit for him to have. Any other power obtained by a devil fruit now seemed out of place if she compared it to Luffy's. Then the shadows that the people she had sheltered up until now had put into him, like she had ordered them to should they have found him successfully, started leaking out, leaving the scrawny muscular figure that was Luffy behind. After defeating Oars and Moria, the remainder of the shadows returned to their owners, allowing them to walk back into the sunlight once more. Watching him collapse, she saw as Bartholomew Kuma appeared out of nowhere. She readied herself for a large shockwave.

"Beginners Luck!" She shouted, a barrier appearing in response to her order. As she saw Kuma try to reason with the Rolling Pirates and the Straw Hat crew for the now unconscious Luffy's head, they all refused. Compressing the air from around him using his Paw-Paw fruit abilities, he released it, knocking out all but a few people. One of those people to remain awake being Zoro. As she slammed her staff on the ground, the barrier dispelled, knowing she would no longer need it. She watched on as Zoro fought for his Captain, the man who had saved him from the shooting squad of marines.

She knew what Zoro would have to endure next as she watched him drop his swords and Kuma pick up Luffy, dispelling his pain and fatigue. Seeing them move to another location, she gave Zoro the privacy he wanted, not wanting to watch further. Going to the unconscious forms of the remaining Straw Hats, she cast her spell of healing, "Regenerate!" bringing the majority back to consciousness. She helped Brook up first, knowing that he's recognise her, even after 5 more years.

"Rebecca! Where have you been? I looked everywhere for you!" Brook shouted, squeezing her into a hug even though she was just over half his size. He had to kneel down just to hug her.

"Well you kinda got your shadow stolen and then set adrift at sea. I couldn't find you even if I wanted to, the fog in this region was too thick even for a finding spell to find you." She struggled to say, gasping for breath in Brook's tight grip.

"Arrrgh! Two skeletons!" She heard Chopper shout from behind her. Turning she said one word, "eh?" which resulted in Chopper fainting. _So much for being helpful._

"Hey, Brook. Do all your friends look like you? You'd think you'd have had some women around or something, Are you not buttered that side of the bread?" Franky asked, still on the ground as he tried to get up.

"Hey! I'll have you know I am a woman, you asshat!" She shouted at the perverted cyborg.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" The whole audience to the occasion shouted in unison.

"Count the ribs dumb ass." She said, pointing beneath the ragged cowl that loosely clung to her shoulders, the jeans clinging to her now even skinnier hips. As Usopp didn't take the sarcasm seriously, he counted her ribs.

"One, Two, Three..." He began until she decided to hit him on the head with her staff, "Ow! What the heck was that for? I've just been through a battle you know."

"Yeah? Try being stuck in the Florian Triangle for the last 50 years." She said, making light of their fight with Oars. She didn't see him leave, but she heard Sanji's light footsteps run off, going to look for Zoro. She knew Sanji would find him covered in blood and she'd be there when the remaining pirates brought him back on a stretcher.

Breathing a deep breath, she flew up to the top of Thriller Bark, looking at the sun as it rose. She felt no warmth anymore. The feeling of the sun was one she missed. She missed having her skin and features, having family, having the friends she had back in her world.

_I swear, I'll find my way back. Even if it takes me another fifty years, I'll find my way back home._

**Meanings:**

_Italics_ \- What Rebecca is thinking or (in this chapter) writing in her diary.

Black smoke - A technique that is used to store items in a pocket dimension. Rebecca can store and get out items from it at will and black smoke will appear when the item materialises or dematerialises.

Spectral Levitation - A technique Rebecca uses to float over any surface, including water. This can be at any altitude and as long as she has her staff, has no limit.

Beginners Luck - One of the first moves she discovered to use and as the name suggests, it was beginners luck on her first few attempts at using the devil fruit abilities she had acquired.

**Thanks for Reading! Please leave a review if you liked it or hated it and tell me what I may be able to include in future chapters. **


	34. The War Approaches

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

_I hate him already._

...

Ever since David had paid his first visit to the man, he had hated him. His first impression of the him was that he was a complete and utter asshole. He hadn't let him out but instead went along with him, answering question after question that he fired at him with short answers. He asked things like: What was his name? What was he doing on Level 6? Would he let him out? Why did he seek solely him out of all the prisoners in Impel Down?

(A few hours later)

_So many questions...jeez this guy is annoying. Why did I have to pick the chatty one?_

As if to read his mind, Inazuma asked "Why did you have to pick the chatty guy out of the group?"

The chatty man, whose name was discovered to be Benjamin Dec and known to many as Dec "The Cheetah" (Bounty before capture: 230,000,000 Berries), had talked almost completely nonstop all the way back to New Kama land. Though he had given tips to David on the way, he had made the notion that in the past, he'd found teaching girls was much fasters since their bodies were more adapted to the flexible art he had perfected with his own body, hands and feet included. He had also noted that because David was so thin, he wouldn't be able to become flexible unless he put weight on at an alarmingly fast rate. Knowing that was an impossibility, he explained why he was unable to go along with that suggestion.

"Basically, I am incapable of putting on weight. No matter what I eat or how much I eat, I cannot physically put on weight. It's against my physical biology." He said, suddenly feeling his chest was heavier than usual. Looking down, he saw two breasts now poking out, making her coat taught and showing her now stiff nipples slightly through the skin tight fabric.

"Oh dear god, not again." He said, feeling the five fingers of hell detach from his body after not feeling them enter at all. He turned his head slowly, grimacing at the sight of Ivankov's huge face. "Why do you do this to me?" He continued, making one of those faces that says in few words 'why me?'.

"Believe me, it's easier this way. I won't change you back either, David-boy! This is the best thing for you and you wouldn't have gotten any stronger in that scrawny body of yours. At least with some curves and flexibility, you will get somewhere. Who knows, you could use it to make a name for yourself." Ivankov said, raising a finger and winking in that ever so innocent way he acted.

"I don't want to make a name for myself though!" He replied, then stopping to think a moment.

_Whether or not I want to make a name for myself, as soon as I step foot on the battlefield at Marineford, I'll be immediately considered an enemy of the World Government. I may not want to fight, but it's better than rotting in here with a bunch of trannies._

He continued "Screw it. Fine, I'll be a woman. But it's not because you forced me, you giant purple-headed monster!"

Over the next few months, David trained in his female form, learning how to fight from Dec. She grew agile, nimble, powerful, using all the abilities she had at her disposal. Soon she grew into a proficient woman at self defence and soon developed his own art, using strikes to pressure points to weaken her enemies.

The day of Ace's capture by Teach came around and she saw him being 'decontaminated' and then walked to Level 6. She went to see him a few days after, making sure the guards did not spot her, using the secret vent shafts that she had discovered when she was a man. Coming to stand in front of him, she looked at the wreck of a man before her.

_If only Oda had written otherwise._

Ace raised his head slowly, looking her directly in the eyes. His brown ones looking into her deep green pools. She blushed a little.

_Not the TIME or the PLACE! Focus David!_

"What do you want? Come to gloat at your freedom?" He said, not looking away from her eyes.

"Certainly not. I'm that kind of person. I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh?" He asked in curiosity.

_What would a young woman like this have to ask a pirate?_

"If you knew you were going to die at the hands of someone that you know of and despise, would you be afraid or would you face your fear?" David asked him straight. She knew no other way to dance around the question so he had gone for the straightforward approach.

"Hmmmm. If it was to protect those who I care for, truly, then I would throw my life away gladly." Ace replied, smiling a wide smile.

"Ace-kun." A seemingly familiar voice came from the corner of Ace's cell. As David squinted to see the large figure, she saw who it was, remembering who was in his cell with Ace in the anime.

_The Knight of the Sea and soon to be a former member of the Seven Warlords, Jinbei._

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is David." She said, nodding her head politely.

"David? Isn't that a boy's name?" Ace asked.

"Long story short, I was a man once but a certain tranny I know turned me into a woman." She explained, making an enormous pouty face that animators would be proud of.

Ace broke out into a bout of powerful laughter. "So under that feminine physique is a male personality? Hahahaha!"

"Glad you find this hilarious because I don't. This was the only way for me to learn from my teacher I hope you know." David said, very unhappy with Ace's reaction.

"That's even better." His eyes were screwed shut in laughter, struggling to breathe from the hilarity of David's circumstances.

"I'll be leaving now." David said, turning to leave the same way she had come, through the vents. The sound of Ace's laughter died away as David made her way back to Level 5.5, to Newkama Land.

(A few hours later)

"So, how'd it go? Did you find out what you needed to from Portgas .D. Ace?" Someone from Newkama Land asked.

"Yeah. I just had to ask him something." David said, then returning to her room, wanting to be left alone to think over Ace's response. After lounging on her bed for only a few moments, she found herself asleep.

She was awoken many hours later by a large commotion going on outside his room. Going outside her room, she found Ivankov. "What's going on? Did something happen?"

"Yes. A pirate by the name of Monkey. D. Luffy was just spotted in the prison. He's not a prisoner either, he busted himself in and is making his way through Level 2 as we speak."

_He's here already?!_

"And this commotion..." David half asked, stopping so Ivankov could finish it and answer her question.

"...is because we are going to help him. According to information we received, he's here to bust out his older brother, Portgas. D. Ace. This is our chance to escape too." Ivankov finished.

"Right. I'm going up to Level 5." She said, running in the direction of the vent system.

"Wait! David-boy! Why Level 5? He's on Level 2!" Ivankov shouted after her, wondering as to her motives.

"Trust me on this. I know what I'm doing!" Pulling off the vent cover, she began making the now less cramped journey to the frozen wastes of Level 5, retracing the steps to the cell she had been held captive in before. As she climbed out of the vent into her former cell, she saw a man, dragging what looked like a sledge behind him with someone in it. On closer inspection, he saw Straw Hat Luffy unconscious and covered in Magellan's poison, his skin tinted a light purple and his breathing almost nonexistent. When he had been on the other side of a computer screen, something like this wouldn't have bothered him at all, but now he saw it up close, he felt something in his chest tug at his conscience.

_This feels strange, I didn't feel this way before. Is it because this time I'm a woman? What else could it be? This feels like what I would assume to be a physical reaction to the opposite sex. Is this... love?_

She watched as Bon Clay pulled Luffy through the frozen wastelands of Level 5. Hearing the sound of howling, she bust down the bars to the cell, not caring about making a ruckus. Running down the frozen bank outside the cell, she followed the footsteps Mr.2 had left in the Frozen ground. From a distance, she saw the wolves move in, beginning their assault on the two men as Bon Clay did his best to defend Luffy using his ballet kenpo, his efforts in the end proving futile as his injured body would not move anymore. As Bon Clay watched helplessly as Luffy's body was being mutilated by the merciless fangs of the Army Wolves, David saw Luffy make himself stand, biting one of the wolves hard in the lower back part of its spine, making it whimper and whine as it ran off to the protection of the pack.

Luffy stood there, swaying on his feet.

"Straw-chan?!" Bon Clay looked at Luffy's shadow in surprise as he had his back to him.

" What are you doing...to Bon-chan?" Luffy asked, an insanely serious look on his face, his eyes bloodshot and his body struggling to draw breath as he continued "Get away...FROM BON-CHAN!"

David felt weak at the knees, but she maintained her stature. She had felt Luffy's wave of Conqueror's Haki. Though untrained, it was strong and she knew it.

_Incredible..._

One by one the wolves collapsed, leaving none standing. David watched from the frozen bank as both men collapsed onto the frozen ground. Running out, he picked up Luffy first, placing him back on the sledge.

"Hey." A familiar voice makes David look up, seeing Inazuma above her as he laid Luffy's head down gently. "Mind giving me a hand with them?"

"Right. I've got the sledge." David answered, picking up the rope attached to the sledge carrying Luffy's near-dead body.

"I'll take Bon Clay." Inazuma said, lifting Bonclay so he has one arm over his shoulder.

(Several hours later.)

Luffy awakens and sees Ivankov standing over him. As David stands behind Emporio, she hears every word as the Straw Hat pirate begs for Bon Clay to be saved, despite being in a worse state himself. Her heart feels like it wants to jump out of her chest, Luffy's selfless actions going above and being motivating her heart to beat ever faster. Sensing his body now return to his lifeless appearance, she assisted in moving them to Newkama Land, also helping in chaining Luffy down to the hard surface that he had seen him on in the anime back in her own world. It proved a difficult task and it took all of her newfound resolve to prevent himself from rebelling against Ivankov's decision to do so.

After bolting and padlocking with chains around the door, David walked away listening to the sound of Luffy's screams. He didn't say anything and for the first time since he came to Impel Down, he managed to down an orange juice without throwing it back up again. The other people who knew him in Newkama Land knew something was wrong with each one asking him if he was ok and if there was anything they could do to cheer him up. Eventually, this led to him leaving the main room, returning to the cold tunnel that also led to Level 5, where he could ponder his own thoughts.

_The war is close now and Luffy is going through Ivankov's treatment. By the time he gets up again, Ace will be on a ship to Marineford. Should I save Ace? Or should I let history take its course? This is all so confusing! Either way I look at it, this world will change dramatically whether he lives or dies. A new era will dawn. "Where there is death, there will always be death." Does that phrase...apply to the future of this world?_

**Things you may or may not know about One Piece:**

Army Wolf - Also known as the Wolf Unit. They were originally a pack of wolves assigned to Level 2 but proved too vicious since they challenged even the Basilisk. Due to this, they were relocated to Impel Down's Level 5 to keep the prisoners in check should they be insane enough to attempt an escape

**Thanks for reading guys :) sorry it took a while to get the next chapter up. I am having to juggle time with a new job recently which doesn't leave as much time for writing at the moment. That and I had a large bout of writers block recently that was a pain in the butthole. :/ Anyway, I hope you like it. Let me know if you spot any spelling errors and possible ideas I could use for future chapters. I know this has been a long fic but I hope to round of the number of chapters at 50, since some readers may either lose interest or patience with it by then. Oyasumi!**


	35. Instinct

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"Guess I'd better go after him. He is my Captain now after all." She said, turning back to Haru and Ōkami, bowing slightly as she turned to walk in the direction Luffy had gone, following his tracks.

...

Many days had passed and Timi had found herself aboard the Thousand Sunny as a new member of the Straw Hat crew.

"This ship is amazing. It has grass and a slide and a cannon and a turning mane and has a docking system! It's so cool!" Timi said with bright stars in her eyes, barely containing her excitement.

"I know! It's cool right?" Luffy said, jumping up onto the lion figurehead, which was his favourite spot.

"I just can't choose what's cooler!" As Timi finished admiring the ship, she remembered that she had something to ask Zoro. Though she had not met him yet and was determined to, she began to look for him. Not in his usual spot, sleeping against the railing of the ship, she climbed the long ladder up to what she knew was the lookout and training room. Putting her head up into the room, she saw him on his hands lifting insane amounts of weight with his feet, his body completely vertical. Amazed by the amount of weight he was lifting, she decided to leave him alone to focus on his training. As she lowered her foot onto the ladder rung below her to leave, he spoke.

"Did you come to watch?"

She looked at him for a moment, surprised that his voice was a little lower than she remembered it to be. After thinking to herself for a moment she replied "Not at all. I actually came to ask something of you and to introduce myself. You're training so I didn't want to interrupt."

"Nah, don't worry 'bout it." He tossed the weights that he had on his feet in the air. Returning to a natural standing position, he caught the weights and put them down, continuing "I was pretty much finished anyway."

Looking to the railing along the side of the wall, Timi saw a towel. Seeing Zoro covered in sweat and looking the other way, she threw it to him. He caught it, putting it around his neck for a moment.

"Thanks." He said, locking eyes with her for a second before he broke eye contact to wipe the sweat from his face and shoulders. She didn't grace it with a response since it was unnecessary. "So, who are you, and what was it you wanted to ask of me?" He sat down, looking at her as he dabbed his face with the towel. Coming up fully off the ladder, Timi sat cross legged on the floor in her black shorts and vest in front of him.

"Name's Timi. And my question is more or a request" She paused a short while, building up the courage to say what she knew Zoro may well say no to.

"Ok." He said, waiting for her to say what she needed to, taking his time to remove his sweat and having a swig of his drink.

"Train me." Timi said, simply but seriously.

Zoro spurted out his drink, getting water all over Timi's face, clothes and hair but she didn't care. "Say what?!"

" Train me." She repeated, as if repeating the same words would make him choose whether to or not quicker. A long awkward pause followed Timi's repeated words as they stared at each other, not blinking at all. Soon Timi felt like she'd had enough as her patience wore thin with his silence.

"Train me, dammit! I wanna be a swordsman!"

"Why?" He asked, his eyes closed, surprising Timi with is response as he continued "Why do you want to learn the way of the sword? What do you have to gain from what I could teach you?"

"I've wanted to learn the way of the sword since I was young but no school would take me. No school would take in a girl with a temper and strength like mine. They were scared of me. Since I was cursed by that witchy woman back on the island Luffy picked me up from, my only form of combat involves transforming into a tiger which I cannot fully control. I need a way to fight that I can depend on, another method of defence and offense. The way of the sword could offer me that."

Zoro hummed as he considered what she had said. After thinking for a few moments, he sighed and opened his eyes again "I won't go easy on you-" was all he could manage before Timi let out a small yell of delight.

"Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me. I will train hard under your guidance, Zoro." She said excitedly, giving him a small bow and then rushing down the ladder as Zoro watched after her.

"Whatever." Zoro said to himself as he continued to wipe the sweat from his body.

(The morning after)

Timi awakens to a sharp pain in her head region as she finds Zoro standing over her with a wooden sword, putting two and two together that he had hit her whilst she slept.

_How rude. I was having a good dream too._

"Get up and meet me on deck in 5 minutes. No dawdling." He said quietly, being careful not to wake Robin or Nami as he turned to leave. Timi rolled out of bed and got dressed in what she thought would be appropriate clothes for excessive training, including a turquoise vest-top and baggy 3/4 length trousers similar to Luffy's. Slipping on a pair of low, Converse-like shoes, she rushed up to the deck, barely making it for the 5 minute time Zoro had set for her to get dressed and get above deck. With the rest of the crew, except Usopp who was in the crow's nest, still asleep, Zoro tossed one of the wooden swords to her. Catching it, she saw him advancing and moved instinctively into a defensive stance, crossing wooden blades with him as he attacked her relentlessly. It took all of her effort and concentration to block him, leaving almost no time at all to counter attack. After fighting against him for approximately half an hour, he stopped his bombardment of attacks, leaving her panting where she stood, wooden sword still raised to him, in case he tried to attack again.

"Let's take a break, your attacks are getting slow. Although...you do possess some skill for someone who's never handled a blade before."

"Are you kidding? All I could do was defend myself. You're way too fast for me to even attempt a counter strike against you, not to mention you hit me several times. I'm nowhere near good enough yet." She lowered her bokken so it pointed at the ground

"For someone who has never lifted a sword before, you seem to have taken to it quickly. With a bit of training, you'd be able to protect and counter attack. Start lifting weights, you'll need to be a lot stronger to survive in this sea."

"Right." Timi replied. Walking to the side of the ship, Zoro sat down, taking his swords from his belt and closing his eyes, falling asleep with ease as within moments he was asleep.

_Man, wish I could fall asleep that easy. I don't tend to fall asleep until early morning or later. Insomnia, why are you such an ass?_

Storing the bokken in Zoro's training room, she returned down to deck level, being welcomed with the delicious smell of pancakes. Running into the kitchen, she saw Sanji standing over his delicious creation-in-progress.

"Something smells good in here, can I see?" Timi asked.

"You certainly can, Timi-schwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!" Sanji said, doing his wierd spaghetti dance.

"That's just plain wierd, stop it." She said, suddenly straight faced. Looking down at the pancakes, she started drooling at the smell, being careful not to let it drip into the pan and ruin them.

"You like pancakes I take it?" Sanji asked, curious as to her favourite foods, eager to please the ladies as always.

"Of course, cover them in syrup and I'd eat a whole stack!" Timi replied, watching the pan in eagerness to eat the irresistibly delicious looking pancakes as Sanji served it on a plate for her. Looking in the cupboard, he pulled out a bottle of syrup that he had received from Haru's supplies. Bringing it and the pancake to the table, Timi sat down as he placed it in front of her, pushing her chair in for her. He watched as she ate the pancake in record time and was surprised when she looked up from the empty plate with eyes that said 'More please and keep 'em coming'. As he cooked another 5 pancakes for her, she downed them in quick succession, one after the next until she couldn't eat any more. Holding her food baby, she went outside to rest for a while.

As she heard the remaining crew awaken, Luffy rushed into the kitchen at the smell of cooking food, practically begging Sanji for food as he usually did. She proceeded to go to the training room, taking Zoro's advice on training her body. She looked around his weights looking for something light to start with. Finding a pair of dumbbell weights that weighed 10 kilos each, she began lifting those. First with just bicep crunches, then with tricep lifts, it went like that for half an hour. She put away the weights, this time bringing out weights of 20kg each. As she was about to proceed to start on lifting those, Sanji came up the ladder with a smoothie.

"I thought you could use a drink, Timi-schwan." He bent down for her to take the drink. Sipping from the straw he had put in it, she was surprised at the sweet nature of the drink.

"You've outdone yourself." Timi said, simply, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing her smile.

"Anything for you, my sweet."

"Ugh, can you stop with the flattery please? I have a name, please use it correctly from now on. No after words, no 'my sweet' or 'my love', just Timi. K? It's getting annoying real fast." Timi sipped away at her smoothie as Sanji stood there with hearts in his eyes.

"Anything for you, Timi. You're so cute when you get serious." He said, doing his spaghetti dance again. Punching him in the jaw, he fell down the ladder hole, hitting the floor with his tray hitting him on the head. Not checking if he was ok, she continued to lift in much the same fashion until she reached 70 kilos of weight on each arm. Seeing the sun high in the sky, she decided to take a break. Going to where she kept her stuff by her bed, she took out a sketchpad along with a pencil and an eraser. Going back outside, she looked for something to sketch. She saw Chopper drying out his herbs and grinding the already dried ones to make medicine. Sitting a little ways away from him, she began to draw him, taking care to add finishing fine details onto his fur and applying shading for his shadow.

"That's a super hand ya got there. Quite the artist ain'tcha?" Franky said, looking over her shoulder, surprising her since she had been so engrossed in drawing Chopper that she hadn't noticed him. She felt someone take the sketchpad from her hands, quickly looking around to see Usopp looking at the drawing intently.

"I'll say. This is incredible. Where'd you learn to draw so well?" He asked looking at her.

"Nowhere actually. It's just something I picked up over the years." Timi replied, holding her hand out for him to give her back her book. Handing her back the sketchpad, she finished Chopper's drawing. Closing the book, she realised several hours had passed and that she was hungrier than she thought she would be as her stomach growled at her. As if well timed, Sanji called everyone into the dining area. As expected, Luffy was there first, followed by Usopp, Brook and Zoro and then the rest of them following suite. As soon as they were all sat around the table, Sanji proceeded to serve an enormous buffet of food, from sautéed bean sprouts to meat on the bone. There was even little octopus weenies made from sausages. As Timi munched away at her food, happily enjoying the company of everyone, the sound of cannons could be heard from outside. Everyone ran outside, Luffy still with a huge piece of meat in his mouth. 4 Navy warships dotted the horizon, gaining on them at a tremendous speed. The crew spurred into action. Timi rushed to where she had left her bokken, climbing the rigging up to the crow's nest afterwards and picking up the long spyglass. She opened it fully, looking in the direction of the ships that were gaining on them fast. Hearing a whistling sound that could only be a cannonball, she saw the iron sphere hurtling towards her at breakneck speed. Bringing up her bokken, she saw the ball in her mind's eye, concentrating on it intently. Bringing her bokken to make a side slash, she released an attack that flew, breaking the cannonball when it was just feet away from hitting her and the top of the mast. Not having time to be amazed, the crew continued to deflect the cannonballs. Luffy then lost his patience.

"Gum Gum...Balloon!" Luffy's body expanded around his stomach area until he was the size of a small house. As he was hit by several cannonballs, he bounced them back, making them detonate against the enemy ships. Plumes of smoke could be seen rising from them, broken masts and ripped sails a glorious sight to behold to a pirate. Fist pumping the air, Timi looked down at the rest of the crew. They were all celebrating happily, Usopp and Luffy dancing together crazily, tossing Chopper up in the air as they went out of control with joy over their victory. Timi smiled as she watched them enjoy themselves. Hearing a sound either side of her, she saw Sanji and Zoro unfurl the main sail, letting it catch the wind and creating waves on the currently calm water. Her smile vanished and was replaced with a face of disgust as Sanji's eyes became hearts and he raced towards her, diving to grasp her in his arms.

She ducked once he was feet away, leaving him to face plant into the mast, making a steaming bump on his head.

"Why? Why Timi?" Sanji asked as he cried painful tears of rejection.

"I told you before, that is both creepy and weird. Stop doing it." Timi replied, her back to him as she jumped out of the crow's nest and onto the side of the sail Zoro was on. Looking towards his training room and then to the kitchen, she decided to train some more since she had eaten enough to fill her stomach and to burn off whilst training.

She lifted for the rest of the afternoon that day, eventually being capable of lifting 200 kilos of weight. She finally finished doing her last set of squats and was wiping her face to get rid of the excessive sweat when Zoro unexpectedly walked in, bare-chested and looking ready to start lifting. She went to leave when she felt Zoro grab her arm. Looking back, she saw him looking at her with intrigue.

"How did you do that?" He asked.

"Do what?" Timi replied, confused as to what he was asking about.

"When you were in the crow's nest, how did you make your attack fly?" He asked, curious as to how she had progressed in such a short time.

Timi thought to herself for a moment, thinking back to when she had broken the cannonball which had been hurtling towards her.

"I don't know, it was strange." She paused, thinking to the exact moment when the cannonball had been feet away. The world seemed to have gone silent, nothing else seemed to matter. She had focused on the cannonball and nothing else. The bokken she had used seemed to her, a real sword. Feeling the rhythm of the word for that small moment. She finished her explanation to Zoro.

"I guess you could say...it was instinct."

**Things you may or may not know:**

Bokken - a Japanese wooden sword used for training. It is usually the size and shape of a katana, but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the wakizashi and tantō. Bokken should not be confused with shinai, which are practice swords made of flexible bamboo.

_Italics_ \- What the character is thinking.

**Heads up: **For those readers who haven't figured out my mind boggling idea yet, this series of events, which stars 5 separate characters was based in 5 different time zones, however, they will all eventually reach the same place at a point in the storyline. I won't tell you where but for those of you that have seen the series, you may have already guessed. Also, to compensate for the amount of time and plot progression in the last chapter, there will be more of Timi's chapters this time around.

I also plan to round off this fanfic at around 50 chapters since I think it is a good number to aim for and I think that it will become more difficult to write otherwise.

**Also:** I have recently attained a part time job. This is accounting to the length of time between chapters but I will try to update as quickly as time and ability allows. I do have two other fics to work on but so far, I have been concentrating on finishing this one.

Thanking you all, I will see you next time!


	36. When Rebecca met Sunny

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"I guess you could say...it was instinct."

Zoro walked around Timi in confusion, looking her up and down.

"How much are you able to lift?" he asked, expecting a big number. Since she had been here a few weeks, and he knew she worked hard around the ship to help out, he knew she had made significant progress in developing her body's abilities.

"About 200 Kilo." Timi replied, standing still as she frowned as he looked her over.

"Hmmm. Maybe it is time you got one." Zoro said, turning to Timi, looking her dead in the eye. Walking over to his own swords, he picked up his Shuusui. He held out his hand for Timi to take it.

"But, this is..." Timi started before being interrupted.

"I'm not giving this to you, I'm letting you borrow it. You need to learn the full weight of handling a sword and Shuusui will help you do that. Meet me on deck when everyone is asleep. If you don't turn up, I'll wake you just like last time." Timi scowled a little, remembering the rude and sudden awakening when he had hit her on the head with a bokken.

"Fine." She replied, taking the sword from him hesitantly. It was heavy. Much heavier than she had originally thought it would be. Timi left Zoro to train, returning to her sleeping quarters. She unsheathed the sword, looking upon it's black blade. She swung it around whichever way she felt comfortable with at first, getting a handle for its weight. Moving it side to side and bringing it up and then down again.

_This is heavy._

She practised with the sword until she couldn't lift it anymore, her body becoming so tired it would no longer listen to her. She turned in early, explaining to the others that she needed some sleep. Sanji understood her, for once not in a perverted manner, and made her a hot chocolate before she went to sleep. She quickly nodded off for once. Since she was a natural insomniac and sleep usually became difficult to achieve for her, it was a wonder she slept at all most of the time. Sleeping but a few short hours, she found herself awake again. Getting up, she grabbed Shuusui and headed out onto the deck. Looking out over the dark surface of the sea from the front of the ship, she felt a large warm hand on her shoulder. Turning she saw Zoro with no shirt on, his large scar visible to the world and he wore no shoes. Holding a sword in each hand, he held both up both up by the handle, making the holsters fall off, revealing the flawless and shining blades underneath. As the sun rose, they began their duel.

_Two Sword Style versus One Sword Style...if my crude sword swinging could even be considered a style._

Her technique bettered the more she studied Zoro's movements, identifying his strengths and points of weakness (though few) and improving to the point that she could launch counter-attacks towards him. Though they duelled for only a short 10 minutes, it was fast paced and over as quickly as it had begun. Both Timi and Zoro stood panting, their sweat drops shining on their skin with the rays of the morning sunrise. Sheathing Shuusui, Timi felt herself stumble a little. Making her stance wider, she stopped herself from falling. Sheathing his own swords, Zoro rushed forward, placing his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him in disapproval.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" She asked, glaring at him slightly. He took his hands off of her shoulders, immediately noticing her change of mood. As she went to turn, she saw her vision darken. Catching her unconscious form, Zoro returned her to her bed. Taking a short shower, he put on a shirt and relaxed-looking baggy trousers, noticing that Luffy had been watching from the kitchen balcony the entire time.

"She's getting better." Zoro said indirectly, not making eye contact with Luffy.

"Yea. She's cool, but she's not as good at handling a sword as you yet though." A huge smile crossed Luffy's face, happy at her progress, his first mate's willingness to train her and his decision to let her join his crew.

It was a few hours later when Timi finally awoke to the sound of grinding. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw Chopper grinding some herbs into a powder. She rose slightly from the bed, immediately regretting it as her lungs suddenly refused to take in air and she ended up coughing to intake more oxygen. Noticing her change, Chopper stopped grinding and turned around. Transforming into his Heavy Point form, he helped her body up into an upright position as she started sweating heavily.

"Hey. Take it easy. You put your body through an arduous ordeal. It's still trying to cope with the oxygen demand. Here. Drink this." Chopper said, handing her a small bottle of white, foul smelling liquid. Taking it without hesitation and downing the contents, she soon regretted it as she grimaced at the taste as it made it's way down her throat. As Chopper went to help her back into a lying position, she tried to push his arms away.

"You need your rest, Timi. Your body is still exhausted." Chopper said, doing his best to be forceful with his patient whilst at the same time, sounding nice.

"I'll be fine Chopper, just help me to the kitchen." She said, almost like an order. Seeing the seriousness of her words in her eyes, he picked up her weakened body in his arms, carrying her to the kitchen. Bringing her in, everyone was surprised to see her awake, worried for her.

"Are you ok, Timi? When you suddenly collapsed, Zoro brought you back to your room and told us." Nami said, already up in her face.

"It was no big deal, alright? My body isn't used to the training yet." Timi replied, not caring about her own importance, too tired to even remotely think about it as Chopper set her down on one of the kitchen chairs.

"Would you like some fried eggs on toast, Timi?" Sanji asked.

_For once, he used my name properly and in context._

"I'd love some, Sanji. Thanks. One piece of toast will do me fine with 2 eggs, sunny side up please." Timi finished as Zoro then walked through the door.

"So you're awake, huh?" Zoro asked, sitting down opposite to her.

"Yeah. I feel weak though." Timi replied, looking at the floor.

"No surprise. Your body is struggling to keep up with the speed at which it is changing. Hey pervy cook, do me some eggs."

"What d'you say, moss head?!" Sanji shouted back, his hair bushed up similar to how a cat bushes up when it's threatened or scared.

"I could go for some cola, bro." came a super voice from the door as Franky walked in. Seeing Sanji and Zoro letting off the flames of anger, he was about to make his way to the fridge to grab a few bottles of cola but stopped when Timi got up from her chair, slowly but surely approaching the fridge. Pulling out 3 of his cola bottles, she tossed them in his direction. Catching them in surprise, he came up to Timi. "Hey, you ok? You don't look so super at the moment."

"Yeah. I'm gonna go train. Seeya later." Timi replied, leaving the kitchen. As everyone watched as she left, Zoro broke the silence.

"Do either of you guys find her a bit odd?"

"Well she is unique, I'll give her that much." Franky replied, stating his own mind.

"She's so cute. I just can't stop thinking about her! She's one amazing girl!" Sanji said, making his spaghetti dance, hearts flying wildly around him as he secretly fantasised about her.

The majority of the crew, excluding Usopp and Robin, watched as he fantasised to himself. Timi did not smile or laugh as she listened from outside the door. She left and continued her training for the reminder of the day. When the sun was setting, Zoro went to find her, noticing her absence when Sanji called the crew into the kitchen for dinner. After calling her name several times, he finally found her in the training room, fast asleep on the sofa that lined the room. Going back down the ladder, he returned moments later, carefully covering her in a blanket. Once again leaving her to sleep, he returned to the kitchen.

"Wait, where's Timi? I wanted so much to see her panties. Yohohoho!" Brook said in unhappy perversion.

"She'd never agree to something so vulgar!" Nami shouted, taking off a shoe and throwing it at Brook.

"Argh! Nami-san! I think you may have grazed my face. Oh! Not that I have a face anymore. Yohohoho! Skull Joke!" Brook replied in jest.

"Losing our newest member could prove to be a considerable setback. I hope she doesn't die from your training, Zoro." Robin spoke out, always the one to think of the worst case scenario. A sweat drop formed on Zoro's head as he knew such a thing was normally impossible but worried since Robin always jumped to the most unlikely conclusions to bad situations.

"Y-yeah." he replied hesitantly, digging into the buffet of foods Sanji had lain across the table, along with the black hole of his captain that ate everything in sight.

(Sleeping the night away, the sun rises on a new day)

As morning came around, Timi awoke with a large headache. Getting up slowly, folding the blanket that had appeared mysteriously overnight, she heard someone climb the training room ladder. A small fuzzy head with a pink hat and antlers showed itself through the ladder hole.

"Ch-chopper? How long was I asleep? Timi said, vaguely remembering to rub the sleep from her eyes, stretching and yawning out of her sleepy mood.

"You managed to sleep through both last night's dinner and breakfast this morning. We were all worried about you when Zoro told us that he found you fast asleep in the training room." He replied, his voice high pitched and yet cute at the same time, unlike young children which she remembered she despised with a hateful vengeance.

_So that's who put the blanket over me._

"Any signs of a new island yet?" Timi asked, turning her body around slowly to look out of the window, seeing Usopp in the crow's nest and Luffy on the Sunny's figurehead.

_His favourite spot._

"Not yet. Are you sure you should be moving around?" Chopper asked, sounding like a doctor caring for one of his more insistent patients.

"I'll be fine Chopper. I slept like a log. I need some food though, I am starving." Timi replied, following him down the ladder. Returning to her bed, she changed clothes. Now in a ripped design pair of black jeggings and a red sleeved, black torso tee, she proceeded to find the pervy cook aboard the Sunny. Once again finding him giving late morning drinks to Nami and Robin, she decided to surprise him, laying a hand on his shoulder. She soon regretted her actions as he broke out in a nosebleed which then proceeded to send him flying overboard.

"I'm not fishing you out, curly-cook! Just thought you ought to know." Timi shouted as Sanji floated on the surface of the sea, the blood streaming in rivers out of his nose. Her attention was focused to Usopp as he yelled from the crow's nest.

"Hey! Guys! There's something falling towards the sea. I can't make it out fully but from here it looks like a skeleton." He shouted down to the deck, squinting through the long slender spyglass as he concentrated the lense.

"Wait. Let me see, Usopp-san." Brook shouted up. He leapt up into the crow's nest in one jump, landing with ease on its edge. Taking the spyglass from Usopp and looking in the direction that he pointed, his jaw dropped a little in surprise at what he saw.

"Well I'll be damned. Yohohoho! Let's not just stand around here like idiots now." Brook said randomly and to no one in particular. He jumped overboard, skimming across the surface of the ocean like a lizard. Approximating the point of impact of the falling, plated skeleton with the ocean, he began to run in circles with his arms outstretched. His efforts were for nought as he missed by mere inches. The plated skeleton hit the ocean, immediately sinking like an anchor.

"Oh dear, it seems I missed. Yohohoho! Oh, I stopped running..." was all Brook said as his idiotic actions led to his own sinking feeling. He proceeded to half drown but was soon rescued by a muscle-bound hand that could only be Zoro's. Being thrown onto the main deck face down, he spat out a mouth full of grass. "That was uncalled for Zoro. I'm the oldest one aboard. At least have some respect for your elders."

"Oh sorry...grandpa." Zoro replied nonchalantly.

"Who are you calling grandpa?!" Was all Brook managed to say before being kicked in the face by Sanji.

"Stop making such a racket ya bag o' bones. You're being too noisy when Robin-schwan is trying to read." He said, the intense love evident by his love-swamped kitty face.

"Ah, my poor bones. They feel like they've had the skin torn clean off them from this beating. Ah! Not that I have any flesh...Yohohoho!" Brook laughed. shaking off the beating, drowning and face grounding he had just received .

"Want me to throw you back overboard, grandpa?" Zoro asked, still cool about the whole thing as he wrung out his wet top.

"How nasty." was all Brook was able to say before being chucked overboard. Luckily, he was caught by Luffy before he found out what it was like to be a breadstick. Smacking his head on the side of the ship as Luffy pulled him in, Nami and Robin came to see what had been pulled from the water. Taking one look, Nami jumped back in terror.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" she screamed "Throw that thing overboard! Don't you know it's disrespectful to disturb the dead!"

Hearing the commotion, Chopper came racing down the stairs, having almost exactly the same reaction as Nami did.

"Aaaaaaaaaah! Skeleton!"Chopper yelled, only he wasn't scared of the skeleton that now lay unconscious on the grass as he just screamed at Brook's seaweed covered sodden form.

"Eeeeeeeeeh!" Brook was spooked by Chopper's sudden reaction. They stood there screaming at each other for a good few minutes until they both finally ran out of breath, both collapsing onto the deck as they gasped for air. Robin kneeled down, taking a sharp breath as her hand felt long silent breaths coming from the plated skeleton.

"It's...breathing. This thing, whatever it is, is alive." Robin said, removing her hand from above the bony mouth.

"Well now, I wouldn't go that far." The plated skeleton replied, floating up into a standing position.

Everyone leapt back in shock with the exception of Zoro and Robin, with Chopper and Usopp jumping overboard. As they floated away from the ship, a few barely legible words escaped their mouths.

"N-n-n-not another one."

**Note to readers:**

Hey guys! It's been a while since my last upload so I think I should offer you my reason for not uploading. My laptop recently went through some technical difficulties which eventually resulted in the loss of my hard drive. I replaced it, so it's all good. But anyways, I had fun thinking about what to wright next and I hope you got the subtle puns I put in this chapter. I had a good laugh when I wrote those. I guess I'll be back with more next time. Peace out!


	37. Sabaody Reunions

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

_Who knows, this could be the place for me and maybe, just maybe, I could become strong._

It had been several weeks since Tim had eaten his Devil Fruit and he was finding it difficult to figure out. Though he had found that he could turn different items, both inanimate and living, into arrows, he still found it hard to focus in times of dire need. Several ships had attempted attacks on them and Kid had returned in kind, slaughtering every man or woman aboard. Though Tim had provided support, he still found it difficult to turn items back into their original form. Though Rin had turned back, he wondered how he had done so before.

Practising every day, he always hit the target. He received criticism almost constantly from Kid for not challenging himself enough but nearly always tuned him out which he regretted soon after as he was pummelled into the deck with a steel hand and left with a steaming bump on his head. He then reached the conclusion that he needed to truly challenge himself.

_I can't rely on arrows alone. Rin can only get me so far when I use my abilities on him and being in a support role. I need something I can use in an emergency._

Going below deck, he found left over wood from the shipwright's store cabin. Asking if he could use it, he got to work on shaping a space for a small arrow to fit in it. Using the string from the other bow, he crafted himself two small crossbows. Grabbing a sword holster belt, he removed the sword's holster from the main part. Taking the belt, he fashioned himself a small utility belt, capable of storing the crossbows and several small bullets in a pouch, which he decided to keep as spare ammunition.

Shortly after crafting his new tools, he returned to training. After firing several shots, he took a bullet out of the small pouch on his new belt. Switching to his new crossbows, he loaded the bullet in. It turned into a small metallic arrow, fitting snugly onto the string. Raising his arm, he loosed the shot. To his surprise the arrow was heavier than expected, missing the bulls eye and penetrating through the solid board, landing on the deck on the other side, leaving a dent. Pulling the arrow from the wooden board, he found the tip was made of the same metal of the arrow.

_The arrow seems to have taken on the qualities of the bullets. I have to experiment with this._

And so, over the next few days, Tim spent his time experimenting with different materials, ranging from food, which was incredibly soft, to sea stone, which proved effective when he tested it on Kid himself which resulted in a nice black eye being thrown his way. Storing up on ammunition of various objects and adding additional pockets and pouches to his utility belt, he reached the point where he needed a longer range to fire from. He needed to challenge himself, and he needed to excel fast.

_I know the battle of the best is coming and I need to be ready to join the fray, I'll be cannon fodder otherwise before I even get to Luffy._

Seeing Polo out of the corner of his eyes, he got his attention, waving him over. Since it hadn't occured to him to ask where they were going, he thought now was as good a time as any to find out.

"Hey, um, Polo? Where are we headed? I didn't actually think to ask earlier, I kinda spaced out when I was doing target practise." Tim said, a carefree look on his face.

"Huh...bahahahahahaha!" Polo burst out laughing. Tim's face turned to one of shame as he looked away from Polo. Putting an arm around his shoulders, Polo gave him a nuggie. Pulling away, he answered "We're heading for Sabaody Archipelago. It's nothing too fancy but it's right on the Navy Headquarter's doorstep. Plus, we received some info that other big shot rookies are heading there too. Kid is looking forward to it, he hasn't stopped staring out to sea since we left the last island. Bashing some heads together would relieve the tension, this small fry crews we've been obliterating don't seem to quench his bloodthirst. Then again, what does, am I right?"

"Uh, yeah." Was all Tim replied. Looking at Kid and then at the sea in front of him, he suddenly had an idea. "Hey, Polo."

"Mm..."

"Think you could throw a piece of wood at least 1000 yards away?" Tim asked, his back to him as a sudden crosswind blew against the side of the ship

"1000 yards, that's quite a distance. You sure you can hit it at that distance and in this wind?"

"If I don't try, I can never get better, can I?" Tim replied, turning to Polo with a determined look in his eye.

"Alright. I'll get someone. Ummm, hey! Killer! Come here a sec."

"What?" He asked, not impressed by his sudden need to be needed.

"Think you can throw a piece of wood 100 yards?" Polo asked with a carefree smile, holding it up between his two hands. Taking the slab of wood, Killer threw it into the wind ahead of the ship.

Tim's mind slowed down, focusing solely on the wooden slab. Bringing up his bow, he drew back the string. Looking along the line of the arrow, he measured the wind speed as it blew through his hair. Changing his aim slightly, he took a deep breath. As it came into the line of sight of Kid, he released the arrow. It whooshed past Kid's ear, brushing it with the soft feathers on the back end. Gasping at the sudden arrow close to his face, Kid watched as it flew in the wind. At first it looked like it was going to miss. He turned to Tim.

"Haha! What a lousy shot. Still an ignorant bastard, ain'tcha?"

Polo's and Killer's faces suddenly turned to one of awe. Seeing their reaction, Kid turned to see the wooden board not only punctured, but shattered into a million splinters. He turned back around, seeing the look of both determination and the satisfaction of achieving a new level of strength. Tim's eyes held a certain boldness that Kid had not seen before. Lowering his bow, he smiled a small smile.

"'Bout time. I was beginning to think you weren't trying, Tim." Kid said, putting one hand on Tim's shoulder. He left it there a moment and then returned to the front of the ship.

_He said my name._

"Hey! Nice one dude!" Came the shout of one crew mate from behind him.

"Yeah, haha! Good job man!" Another man shouted.

"Do it again!"

"Yea, do it again!"

Tim did the shot once more, this time with an audience. Kid watched since he'd missed the time of impact the last time. Watching it shatter, Tim watched as he saw Kid's jaw drop a little. He smiled this time with achievement, his grin as wide as his ears. He found himself being thrown up in the air, up and down, until he felt sick enough that he rushed to the side of the ship, puking over the side.

"Hey, you okay Tim?" One of the crew asked.

"Yeah. Just no more bouncing, please." He said, turning back to them, his face an unhealthy shade of green. The cross wind became a tailwind, speeding up the ship to a good pace.

"CAPTAIN!" yelled a crewman from the crow's nest.

"This had better be important or I'm going to kill you." Eustass replied.

"Sabaody dead ahead!" He shouted down, looking at the island that dotted the horizon through a spyglass. All eyes looked over the edge of the ship, followed by cheers of joy.

"Shut up and get us in to port. If we get spotted by the marines, I'll kill you all and make sure to piss on your pathetic corpses!"

"Kid, that's way over the top!" Killer shouted, quieting the red-headed, hot-tempered captain.

Bringing the ship into port, they disembarked onto the Sabaody Archipelago. Tim looked around, amazed that the archipelago looked so...normal. He knew what would go down here, but it seemed so tranquil a place that it seemed nothing bad could happen here. He began to walk off by himself.

"And where do you think you're going, squirt?" Kid asked mockingly.

Turning, he replied "I'm going to explore. Besides, it'll mean you don't have to worry about me for a few hours. Seeya."

"Wait a min-" Kid started before Killer placed a hand in front of his captain to stop him, saying nothing. "What am I going to do with that useless bastard?" Kid asked to himself before turning to explore in the opposite direction that Tim had ventured.

Coming across the theme park, he decided to have some fun. Using the small amount of beli he had, he jumped on the biggest, fastest and steepest rides he could find. Though at the end he felt a little queasy, he bought himself hot dogs and candy floss, nomming on both at the same time. He decided to himself that he'd had enough fun. Leaving the amusement park, he put his hands behind his head and spaced out, not realising that Luffy and a few of the other Straw Hats walked past. He decided to explore a little. Finding his feet took him to Grove 13, he noticed a small pub. Reading the sign, he decided on using the last of his money to get a drink. Just as he was about to open the door, it suddenly rushed opened and he found two men, both thoroughly beaten, being thrown out the door at him, unable to react in time to avoid them. Falling to the ground, the bow's hard frame on his back winding him, he pushed the men off of him.

"Oh! I do apologise. You ok?" A woman with short dark hair and dark eyes came to his side, offering a hand. Taking it, she pulled him to his feet.

"Thanks. I'll be alright." Tim replied, smiling simply and nonchalantly, blushing a little at the woman's beauty.

"I'll make it up to you. Fancy a drink? It's on the house." The woman asked, inviting him into the bar.

Accepting her offer, he followed her back into the bar. Sitting down at the front, he asked for an orange juice since he didn't like alcohol much.

"Not a drinker I see." the woman noticed, continuing "The name's Shakey if you couldn't already tell by the sign."

Looking down into his glass filled with orange juice and ice, he replied "Nah. Never really been one for alcohol. Besides, even if I did, I wouldn't want to drink right now. I'm meeting someone."

"Is it a girl?" Asked Shakey, giving Tim a mischievous wink as she dried a glass.

"Oh my no." He said in a similar tone that was reminiscent of the professor from Futurama, continuing "it's my Captain. I know where he is and when to meet him. I'm just killing time. I'm sure he can wait for me a while." He took a sip of orange juice.

"Well aren't you the little rebel." Shakey replied, putting the now dry glass back in its cupboard.

"Rebel? More like I couldn't give two shits about when I have to meet the guy. He can suck the big one for all I care." Tim replied.

Shakey laughed to herself as Tim brought the glass up to his lips, downing the contents.

" I have to go anyhow. Not that you were bad company but I still have so much on the Archipelago to see. I'll see you later...maybe." He closed the door behind him with a slight bang as he departed for Grove 1. His curiosity was peaked.

_If a bar had been way out here in Grove 13, what was in Grove 1? What kind of place is it? Will there be more to see there?_

"Only one way to find out." He said to himself, setting off for Grove 1.

(_Meanwhile, in Grove 1_)

"Why're we here, Kid?" Killer asked, getting straight to the point as usual.

"Rumours are spreading that a slave trade exists on this island. Doesn't surprise me with the number of sick, twisted bastards out there to buy them. I'm going to confirm if it's true and see what comes up at auction. Who knows, we could get lucky." Kid said, walking at a fairly brisk pace that was his normal walk.

"We don't need any more crewmen, Kid. We're already struggling to feed 'em all as is." Killer replied, trying to reason with his captain.

"Killer, you are getting on my nerves. I didn't say I WOULD buy one, now did I? Learn to listen you ignorant bastard." Kid replied in a slightly forced tone, forcing his status upon Killer a little. It had worked since he then remained silent for the remainder of the trip to Grove 1.

(_Later_)

Killer and Kid came across a large house. Noticing the smiley face with the cancel sign over it, Killer told Kid that it belonged to Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Kid huffed it off as if it were nothing, entering the building to the sound of shouts for bids.

(_Meanwhile_)

Tim also arrived at Grove 1. Noticing the jolly roger, the word HUMAN upon it's sign and the collared man out front, he immediately guessed it to be a slave trade place.

_I think I'll stay right here. No way am I setting foot in that shady place._

He took a seat next to the man in the heavy looking collar. After several hours, he wondered if Kid would even show up at all. However, he was snatched from the various thoughts in his head when several fish came flying overhead, a couple of them crashing into the auction house.

_I wonder what's going on? Meh, not my problem._

People suddenly came running out of the building, shortly followed by a turn-out of marines that proceeded to surround the building. Hearing footsteps, he saw Monkey. , his Captain, Eustass Kid, as well as another high bountied super rookie, Trafalgar Law.

"Oh, you're here squirt? Get out of the way if you don't want to get hurt." Kid ordered, his face dead serious.

_That's scary. Better do as he says, this thing could turn into a shit fest._

A few members of the Captain's respective crews came to the entrance to back them up, just in case. However, the looks on their faces said to Tim that they weren't needed for backup at all.

"Tim?" Someone called his name "Tim is that you?" they called it again. Looking around, Tim struggled to find the source. It sounded familiar, he just couldn't pinpoint where.

"Who wants to know?" Tim asked, a little spooked.

"So that is you, Tim." A shadowy figure in a large black hooded cloak suddenly appeared in front of him, continuing "It's been a while."

"That, that voice...is it...is it really you?" Tim asked, not putting 2 and 2 together quick enough.

"You is not my name, thank you very much. I happen to have one that my parents gave me." The hooded figure replied.

"It is you!"

"It's good to see you again, Tim."

"It's been a while...Rebecca."

**Info titbits:**

Nuggie - A form of punishment used to assert dominance in a social structure, usually given when a lower person does or says something stupid or annoying. It consists of rubbing of the knuckles hard against the skull to cause moderate pain. Usually the head is held stable with the weaker arm, and the nuggie is given by the stronger arm. (Reference: Urban Dictionary :P )

Nomming - Slang word for eating.

Oooooooooo, things are heating up. Since I know some of you may be confused with the sequence of events, I will clarify a little with each character. I will also provide a number, clarifying which person landed when in terms of the time line (1 being the furthest back, 5 being the closest to the current timeline setting)

Timi: 3

Cursed by a pregnant witch, she now bears the ability to turn into a golden tiger which she is currently learning to control. Currently, she is sailing to Sabaody, but is still on the sea. There are a few more surprises there before they reach the Archipelago which I wish I could tell you. The next one to land after Rachael, she has a total of seven months before they reach the Archipelago. A majority of this, I won't write but will recall as flashbacks or quotes from the Straw Hats log book.

Tim: 4

Joined Kid's crew shortly before they sailed to Sabaody Archipelago. Learned to use marksman skills at long ranges in a short amount of time, learning to go with his strengths from his own world. He had the space of a very short 3 months before reaching the Archipelago. This puts him just behind David in both power and time spent in the One Piece world.

Rebecca: 1

Sent back to the era of the first Pirate King, Gol. , she joined the Rumbar Pirates, eating a devil fruit shortly after and sharing their inevitable demise at the hands of poison weapons. Since her time aboard, Brook has relinquished authority over her as part of his crew, which he took over from the first Captain, Yorki. However, being of similar age, personality and position in life (both being skeletons and over the approximate age of 70), they both share a mutual love for one another, which I will go into more later ;)

Rachael: 2

The second to land in the world of One Piece, she met Law quite early on when he was still building his crew. She is currently on the Grand Line, sailing alone and having her own adventures, with the request from Law, her captain, that she return when and where he tells her. From the time of her landing to the time of her reaching Saboady, it is approximately 1 year.

David: 5

The last to land in the world of One Piece. He landed closest to the battle of the best and has to learn various weapon techniques as well as self defence in a very small time frame of about 2 months. This does leave him at a disadvantage power wise.


	38. Zoro's self sacrifice and a new heading

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

_I swear, I'll find my way back. Even if it takes me another fifty years, I'll find my way back home._

_..._

_A large banquet was held after the Straw Hat's battle with Moria and Oars to celebrate teir vistory and getting their shadows back. Using the supplies that Perona had loaded on the Thousand Sunny, Sanji cooked up delicious food which was accompanied by wine and sake. They partied for a while, with Luffy asking many questions of Rebecca when he could._

_"Hey, Rebecca, right?" Luffy started._

_"Indeed. That is my name."_

_"How did you become part of Brook's crew? I've been meaning to ask how you survived. Did you share Brook's devil fruit? Do you know how to play instruments too? How old are you? Will you join my cr-" He was cut off with a strong kick to the face from Sanji._

_"Not a chance, Luffy." Sanji interjected._

_Indulging him, Rebecca answered all of Luffy's questions at once. "Well, to tell you the truth, I met Brook purely by coincidence. That dumb idiot tried to wake me up and I head butted him, knocking him out, then I ran into him, then he asked if he could see my panties to which I confused the hell out of him and then joined his crew. No, I didn't share his fruit, I ate my own. I know how to play the viola, I'm not telling you that, and no thanks."_

_Hearing Bink's Sake being played "Okay, okay! Dance with us!" Luffy shouted in happy excitement, pulling Rebecca to her feet._

_"I don't dance though."_

_"That's ok, neither do we." Usopp replied, a huge grin across his face as he climbed onto the table, pulling her skeletal arm to join them. Linking their arms over each other's shoulders, Luffy and Usopp did a kind of half cabaret, kicking their feet in the air. Making her staff disappear, she joined in the festivities. Kicking her own legs in the air, he jeans struggled to stay on, slipping little by little down her now bony hips. After half the song, she proceeded to cast Spectral Levitation spells on Sanji and Chopper as well as unveiling a new spell._

_I was hoping to save this for another time, but I guess now is as good a time as any._

"Star struck!" she yelled. The room grew dark and then light again, lit by the light of many small globes of light that danced around the room. They got brighter and dimmer, making the room into an endless array of disco lights. As they danced the day away, many of the Rolling Pirates got drunk, collapsing in drunken stupors one by one. Brook had taken out the tone dial, activating it and playing along as the whole company had sang along to the Rumbar Pirates last song.

When people forgot about her being there, she went to sit by Zoro's unconscious form. Though there was no conversation to be had, Rebecca talked to his unconscious form.

"In terms of selflessness, courage and unwavering will, I would say there is no one of higher esteem than you, Zoro. Sacrificing yourself over and over again for the good of the crew and of the captain, even if he is an idiot, is something I never had the chance to do. If I had, we never would have met." She said looking off in Luffy's direction as he was tossed in the air by the Rolling Pirates who were still standing. She continued "I need you to do me a favour. I know, in my heart, that I may not be the only one from my world who was sent here. If you find someone who knows me by name, I need you to give them this." In her hand was an unpolished ruby stone with a silver chain that had been threaded through a small hole in its uneven surface. Folding it into the crevice of his hand, she touched his hair once with her bony hand, leaving him alone as she returned to the party. An ear disappeared from the back of her new black hoodie with purples sleeves, which she had acquired from Nami as a gift. Though she didn't see it, Robin sat in the corner smiling to herself.

"Hey, what were you saying to Zoro just now? You do know he's comatose, right?" Sanji asked, lighting a cigarette.

"Nothing to concern yourself with. I have a hunch is all."

"O...k?" was all he replied before walking off to dance with the rest of the crew. Grabbing some food from one of the tables, she sat down next to Robin, helping herself to stilton and broccoli soup with some garlic bread on the side.

"What was it that you entrusted to Zoro, may I ask?" Robin asked. Before taking the next gulp of her soup from the spoon, she stopped.

"You saw that, huh?" Rebecca asked, slightly embarrassed.

"I heard every word. Hehe" Robin giggled with a small, sly smile.

"Please don't tell anyone. At least not yet, plez." She said, scratching her temple with one bony finger like anime characters do when they attempt to act blissfully ignorant.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. But in return, you have to tell me something personal about yourself."

"What?! Awww, but..." Rebecca started before being given a cold stare of disappointment. She took a moment to think over if she wanted Robin's wrath upon her.

"Ummmm...ok. I guess I could tell you." She decided to skip the spoon and downed the bowl of soup. "I have the biggest crush on Brook, have done since I met him."

"Well that was kind of obvious. But I guess it's a secret nonetheless." Robin replied, leaning her head on her hand with a smile on her face.

"Well to the oblivious idiots over there, it's about as obvious as personal boundaries." Rebecca replied, crossing her bony arms as she watched them dance the day away.

(The next morning)

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you all. It's a shame you can't stay longer." Rebecca said, seeing them off at the harbour.

"That's nice. Join my crew." Luffy said, plainly.

"What part of having two skeletons aboard seems sane to you?!" Sanji kicked the back of Luffy's head, the latter feeling nothing at all.

"Thanks but no thanks. I have a new course of my own to follow. Besides, Brook is no longer my Captain, I can let the wind take me wherever it wants to. Oh, that reminds me, do you feel burning near your head, Luffy?" Rebecca asked, curious since she knew it's meaning.

"How'd you..." Luffy was about to ask, stopping mid sentence as he lifted his hat and took out a very small sliver of burning paper. Looking at it, he looked at Rebecca.

"Hmmm...I see." Rebecca said, deep in thought.

Brook noticed the change in tone in Rebecca's voice.

_You know what this means too, don't you. I've spent 50 years with you and I still don't understand the workings of your insane mind._

"Well, I'm off." She turned to pick up a satchel containing her belongings, turning it into black smoke as she stored it in her pocket dimension. Turning to Brook, she gave him a big bear hug, lifting him off the ground a little. Putting him down again, he returned her love with an embrace of his own, subtly sneaking her a small peck on the cheek. "I think 50 years was long enough for the both of us, Captain. Now we both have our own chance for adventure." Rebecca said, smiling up at Brook's face from her small height.

"Indeed. Where will you go first?" Brook asked.

"Skypiea is calling my name. I think that is where I shall start. I can fly there easily anyway." At her response, the remaining Straw Hats aside from Franky, Zoro and Brook reacted with surprised faces, though Zoro had been unconscious since before the party.

"How do you know that it even exists? Most people pass it off as a legend." Nami asked.

"If I told you the full version of that story, you'd never believe me. I have to go." She summoned her staff, her body already elevating off the ground to above their heads.

"Wait! What does this mean? Is Ace OK?" Shouted Luffy up to her as he gestured to the burning paper in his hand.

"That's a vivre card. Lola can tell you the rest" She nodded to the Rolling Pirate captain in gesture. "Goodbye everyone, I'll see you around Brook!" She waved until she had flown out of visual range. Increasing the speed and height of her flight, after several hours she broke the cloud layer. A large white expanse lay before her.

"Now then, Skypiea should be...this way." She said to herself as she flew off across the white sea. Finally she came across what looked like the entrance point to Skypeia. She felt a tickling sensation at the center of her bony face. Breathing in sharply, she sneezed.

_Someone's talking about me. I wonder if it was Luffy. Wouldn't surprise me, I've only been gone less than a day._

As she was about to pass through the entry tunnel, she was stopped by the old toll woman.

"Hey there, you! You have to pay the toll if you want to get in." She shouted at Rebecca.

"Oh my, it seems I don't have any cash on me. Would a pile of gems that come to the value of the toll be enough?" Rebecca asked, a cunning plan in mind.

"Works for me." The toll woman replied. Waving her hand in a circle and then touching the ground where the woman stood, a heap of jewels as high as the old woman appeared, each of them a different colour of the rainbow. The toll woman's eyes grew wide with wonder.

"This will be more than enough. Feel free to wonder as you please. Follow the milky road and you'll reach Skypiea. Hesso!"

Nodding, Rebecca flew off in the direction of Skypiea and its floating island of dirt, Upper Yard. She landed in a sheltered woodland area. Realising what she looked like, she thought it best not to upset the Skypiean people, then realising the old woman hadn't reacted to her at all. Shrugging it off, she waved her hand her hands over her face, summoning an illusion of her own face from when she had been alive. Waving her hands over her whole body one limb at a time, she was satisfied with her work.

_Now all I need to do is maintain my concentration and not fall asleep. Who knows what could happen if I do._

Picking up her staff that she had left on the ground, she floated above the city like no one would notice. Once people began to notice her, some began to point, others waved in greeting. Waving back and smiling a polite smile, she landed on the beach of Skypiea. Looking around, her stomach began growling.

_I forgot how much energy this fruit uses. There's got to be something to eat around here._

She spotted a large green, almost pumpkin shaped fruit. Suddenly remembering when Luffy had attempted to eat this fruit, she turned it over.

_Luffy hurt his jaw trying to bite this. If I cut it open here..._

Her staff disappeared to be replaced with a small but sharp flip out knife. Cutting a mouth sized hole, she drank the juice from the fruit.

_Though this is only fruit juice, it's filling my stomach much like food does._

Floating up to a tree to finish the rest, she enjoyed the shade they gave as a cool cover from the relentless sun.

"Excuse me. You up there." Someone said from beneath her. Cocking her head, she saw Conis and Pagaya, the young woman and her father who had helped Luffy when he had been here.

"Yes?" She asked, curious as to why they were saying hello to her.

"Hesso! We saw you flying in just now." Conis said, stating the obvious.

"Did you now. Pretty sure everyone else did too." Rebecca replied, her patience thinning as she wanted to finish the fruit.

"We were wondering if you would like a tour. It would be our privilege to show you around if you'd like." Pagaya replied.

Looking at them a moment thoughtfully, she shlurped down the rest of the green pumpkin juice. Jumping off the tree, she hit the ground with a soft thud. Realising she still had her knife out, she put it away before Conis and Pagaya had a chance to notice.

_Hopefully they didn't see the black smoke._

"So, where do we start?"

**Note from Author:**

Hey guys, hope you enjoyed this latest chapter. Thought the pumpkin would give it a nice Halloween theme. I hope all of yours were spooky and fun. Hell, walking around the woods in the dark was perfect for me on October 31st. A good temptation of fate always gets my heart a pumpin'. Well, seeya.


	39. Magic, duelling and talk of the Belfry

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"So, where do we start?"

...

Conis and Pagaya had shown her around the billowing white city of Angel Island. From the sea to the furthest reach of the town. Eventually reaching their own house, they invited her inside. Looking around the small but cosy house, she sat down under the low table, looking at the various dials on the table.

"Those are dials, each one does a different job for us. We have no idea how they were made but each is capable of doing different things. For example, this one..." she pushed the apex of the shell, with the result being a gust of wind "...is a breath dial. It releases stored wind."

She listened to Conis as she explained the dials uses. Though she hadn't paid much attention back when she had watched the anime, she immediately paid more attention when Pagaya explained the impact dial. After learning what each of them did, she had a few questions to ask the pair of them.

_I need to acquire some of those dials. They could be useful as a backup._

"Do you mind if I could have a few of these dials? I am exploring at the moment and I am collecting a few souvenirs from places I go. Besides, these dials look interesting. I'd love to work with them too."

"Take as many as you'd like. We have plenty more on the shores of the white white sea." Pagaya replied, handing her an assortment of the dials. She collected one of each, including an impact dial.

"Do you have some way to carry those? They'll be difficult to carry otherwise." Conis asked, worried about if she'd be able to take them anywhere from the house.

"Oh I have a place. Want to see something cool?" Rebecca asked, having a fun idea in mind. Placing all the dials on the table, she placed her right hand above them. They all disappeared in a puff of black smoke, leaving an impression of shock and awe upon the pair's faces.

"H-how did you do that?" Conis asked in amazement, still in awe and the expression on her face now one of curiousness.

"Magiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiic." Rebecca said, waving her hands like they do at magic shows.

"Ooooooo." They both said in realisation but still in awe of her ability.

"Well, as much as this has been fun, I want to explore the island across from this one. I'm going to explore Upper Yard."

"Wha?! That's crazy! Only the descendants of Kalgara and their allies, can enter there. It's suicide otherwise!" Pagaya warned.

"Seems legit. I want to have some fun though. I came to Skypeia for an adventure. I can't exactly do that sitting on my bony behind now can I?" Standing up, her staff appeared in her hand with a puff of black smoke, the result being Conis gasping in surprise as her father looked on in shocked wonder. Walking out onto her balcony, she said her goodbyes to the pair of them.

"It was wonderful to meet you both. I hope to meet you again sometime. Goodbye!" She floated off of the balcony, speeding towards Upper Yard. Within moments, she was surrounded by dense forest, ancient ruins and the sounds of strange birds. She slowed down, taking her time to look around. All of a sudden, her head met with something hard from above. Her face met the ground intimately, filling her mouth with dirt. Spitting it out in a ball shaped piece of mud, she looked up at her attacker. There stood Wiper, the leader of the Shandian warriors.

"And who might you be, stranger?" Wiper asked, his face one of impatient anger.

"That was very rude. Jeez. And it's usually prudent to give your own name first." Rebecca replied, annoyed at him for hitting her since she hadn't been expecting it and had only wanted to look around a bit.

"Wyper. Now who are you?!" He asked, his voice growing louder in his defensive anger.

"Well since you asked nicely, the name's Rebecca, but you can call me Becca." She replied, giving a small curt half-nod-half-bow.

"What is your purpose here? This is holy ground. No one is allowed to set foot here but the Shandian people!"

"My purpose was to explore this island and to find something interesting to me. As you can see, I have not lain one foot upon your soil." Rebecca replied cockily as she pointed to her feet. They had not landed since she took off from Skypeia and only her face had touched Upper Yard.

"Cocky bitch!" Wyper came at her with full force, the hand which she knew contained an impact dial stretched out ahead of him. She sidestepped him with little effort. He continued his assault until he became short of breath. Retreating, he grabbed his Burn Bazooka.

"Well this escalated quickly." Was all Rebecca graced his actions as a response. As the Bazooka's ammo hit the position where Rebecca had been, the smoke cleared to reveal a small clearing where she had originally been standing.

"Where'd she go?" He asked himself, looking around the trees for any sign of her. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he focused intently. He began feeling around with his senses, straining them to hear or feel even the most remote disturbance to the forest. He heard a flock of birds take flight on the edge of his hearing. Snapping his eyes open, he immediately took up pursuit of her.

_Does this guy never give up? Honestly, all I wanted to do was explore. The Belfry was something I wanted to see more than anything else whilst I was here. I mean, who wouldn't want to see a giant golden bell? It's not something you see every day. But no, this dickbiscuit of a Shandian had to ruin my fun. Damn it Wiper._

Letting him catch up to her, she summoned the impact dial she had acquired from Conis from her pocket dimension, the small dial appearing in black smoke. Turning around, she caught the force that a second shot of Wiper's Burn Bazooka had created.

_How did she get an impact dial? Those are supposed to be a rare type of shell...so where did she get hers from?!_

"My turn." Rebecca said, flying at a high speed towards him. Not wanting to hurt him drastically, she brought up the impact dial less than a foot away from his torso. Pressing the apex, the impact he himself had shot was released, sending him flying a short distance backwards. Rebecca gasped in pain, the recoil of the impact dial reverberating up her entire arm.

_Damn it! I hadn't expected the recoil to be so high. If his Burn Bazooka blast had hit me, that may have been the end of me. Oh my..._

"Only a select few have ever managed to hit me in battle. You should feel honoured." Wiper said sternly, clearly a little impressed but not intending to show it in front of an opponent, especially a girl.

"I'd be more honoured if you stopped attacking me! I only came here to explore but it seems I can't do that because a weird man with a mohawk, tribal tattoos and haki, won't let me!" Rebecca replied, holding her arm in pain.

"What is this "Haki" you speak of? I have Mantra. The ability to know my opponents tactics, sometimes before even they do."

"Same thing. Now will you please stop attacking me?" Rebecca asked, hovering above the forest floor. Before Wiper had the chance to respond, several more Shandian warriors arrived.

"Wiper, we heard the commotion and came to lend a hand." One of them said to him.

"No. It's alright. There's no need to worry. This girl poses no threat to us." Wiper replied, looking intently into her illusion eyes, continuing "I feel no hostility from her."

"But she used an impact dial on you Wiper, we both saw it." The other of the 2 Shandian's noted

"She could have used the dial closer to me and attempted to kill me, yet she didn't. I think her actions were more out of self defence than they were for pointless reasoning." Wiper replied. Making the dial disappear back into her pocket dimension in a puff of black smoke. She held her staff with both hands, still wary of Wiper.

"I apologise. I should have stopped and listened to my Mantra before attacking you, and for that I am sorry. I have misjudged you. Please, come join us." Wiper said, inviting Rebecca to their home camp at the center of the island.

"But Wyper..." One of the Shandians said in disagreement.

"Enough! How about making yourselves useful and telling the Chief that we have a guest coming!"

"R-right away, Wiper!" Both Shandians went running off in the direction they had come. Rebecca stared at Wiper, curious as to his change of heart.

_This isn't like him. What is it about me that made him stop?_

"Is glaring the best way to thank someone who could have beaten your ass?" Wiper asked, breaking the long silence with a cocky comment.

"It's because I'm a woman isn't it? Why did you show me mercy? I was ready to fight and you have to go and do something as freaking idiotic as that. Just...wow. Wow. You butt." Rebecca's face deadpanned, her staff's gem glowing a gentle green.

"Oh? You wish to continue? Very well then." Wiper replied, coming at her with full force.

"Well, that's a little more like it."

(Hours later, night has fallen as Wiper and Rebecca enter the Shandian camp)

"I thought you'd be back earlier. What took you so long, Wyper?" The Chief asked, worried for Wiper's current state.

"I was taking care of business. I would have brought her in earlier as I don't like fighting women as much, but this girl...this girl decided she wanted to see which one of us was stronger. I was happy to oblige such a strange request, for once." Wiper replied, sitting down on a large nearby log near a large campfire.

"Well you were asking for it. Giving mercy to your opponent was both shameful, an insult to my pride as a fighter and did I mention that it was very rude of you. You Windscreen Wiper!" Rebecca shouted, sitting on a log opposite to him. He was about to get up but was stopped by the chief and got his shoulder pushed down as the chief shook his head in protest. A medic began treating his wounds as Rebecca watched on.

"You should get treated as well, young miss. Those look like some pretty bad injuries to me." The village chief said, walking over to her.

"I have my own way of dealing with injuries. In truth, this form isn't even my real body." Rebecca said, looking at her right hand in front of her face, dispelling the illusion and revealing her bony, skeletal hand. The group of Shandians around her shied back in fear, Wiper's face one of shock. She continued, giving them a small explanation of her abilities "If I'd have shown what I truly looked like to you, I would only have gotten a similar response. What you're seeing is an illusion that I created from the memory of my face from when I had flesh covering my bones 50 years ago."

"50 years?! How are you not dead?!" Asked a Shandian nearby.

"In truth, I already died. A fruit I ate, called the Lich-Lich fruit, allowed me to return to this world. However, it does have its drawbacks. It robbed me of my flesh and bound my soul to an item of my choosing. If that item is destroyed, my soul will be destroyed along with it, making me, essentially, dead."

The Shandians all looked at her in silence, the crackling of the fire the only sound for miles in that brief moment of calm.

"Want to see what my face looks like now?" Rebecca asked, beginning to raise her hand as she smiled a little slyly, a mildly evil idea in mind.

"No!" Everyone seemed to shout in unison. Her smile faded as she laid her hand onto her illusory knee, the illusion of her exposed hand returning to where it had been before.

"Killjoys. Jeez." She said under her breath to herself. She formed fists with both hands, placing them together with the top of her hands facing away from her. A red light suddenly surrounded her like an aura. The wounds on her illusory body vanished, taking away all pain that she felt. "Much better." She went to get up to walk around a little but found herself stumbling a little. "Oh my. I do believe I am using a little too much energy. Excuse me, Chief?" She said, getting the old man's attention.

"Yes?" He replied, still unsure of how to handle the situation he had just seen.

"Would it be ok if I stayed in your camp just for tonight? I would promise to be gone tomorrow morning of course."

"Mmmmmm. I suppose we could make this exception. You would have to be guarded overnight though. Any funny business and you are out of here. Understood miss?" He said in a rather grouchy way.

"Sure. I'm not going anywhere or doing anything shifty if that's what you mean. And the name's Rebecca by the way. Good to meet you." She replied, complying with their wishes. The tribe soon dispersed, going about their duties that they did at night, most of them returning to their tents to sleep or look after their children.

"So..." Rebecca said, getting his attention.

"What do you want?" He asked, grouchily and in a similar fashion to the Chief, wanting to get his conversation with her over with.

"How did you feel...when Luffy rang the Belfry?"


	40. Found out, escape from Skypiea!

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"How did you feel...when Luffy rang the Belfry?"

"Wha?! You know Straw Hat?!"

"Of course. I set off to get here after meeting him and his crew during a party after his latest victory against one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. If you don't know who they are, let's just say they are some of the biggest dickbiscuits on the sea. It takes a good amount of guts and strength to face even one of them. Unfortunately, he had the misfortune to meet two at once."

Wipers face turned pale "Then what happened? Is he ok?" Wiper asked, standing up in worry. Some of the villagers noticed the difference in mood by the fire and some approached to hear more of Luffy.

"I see I have an audience now. Hehe. Well, he managed to beat the first, whose name was Gecko Moria. His devil fruit...oh, wait. I guess I should explain what a devil fruit is first. A devil fruit allows the eater of it to gain supernatural abilities, however, there is a drawback. For anyone who eats a devil fruit, they lose the ability to swim, forever cast out by the ocean itself. If they fall in, then they sink like an anchor. Anyway, Luffy defeated Moria whose devil fruit ability allowed him to steal shadows from living people and place them in augmented corpses which in turn allowed them to walk around as if they were alive. He even took Luffy's shadow, along with 3 of the crew. If Luffy hadn't shown up to beat both Moria and his strongest Zombie, which contained the shadow of Luffy himself, his crew may have died and Moria would have succeeded in making another pirate crew disappear from the ocean."

Many of the villagers had gathered around to listen to her tale of Luffy's adventure in Thriller Bark, their faces pictures of both worry and happiness.

"Although he beat Moria..." Rebecca started, Wiper's face turning to one of intent attention, giving every last ounce of his being into listening to her story "...he collapsed soon after, to no surprise. His body had been stuffed with shadows by a pirate crew that had been on the island at the time and even then, it was tough for him to beat Moria. His body had been incapable of functioning properly near the end of that fight. Then the other Warlord arrived soon after. Bartholomew Kuma. He would have taken Luffy's head in the name of the World Government, if it hadn't been for that one selfless act by an amazing and courageous man."

"Who was this man? Please, tell us. We deserve to know who saved our saviour." Said a woman from behind her, sounding half desperate.

"You already know who he is. He came here with Luffy. Got green hair, has no sense of direction at all." She replied.

"Oh, him..." Said one of the townsmen, deadpanning as he continued "...he was hopeless to direct. We had to go back several times after we lost him up here."

"Sounds about right for him." Rebecca said. Thinking to herself, she made her staff disappear in a puff of black smoke, knowing she wouldn't need it. "I need to sleep. I have an early start ahead of me tomorrow and my energy is almost gone." She continued, turning to begin looking for the chief to find a place where she wouldn't be in the way and no one would see her true form as she slept. She felt someone grab her wrist. Turning her head, she saw Wiper holding it.

"Please stay. The whole village would like to hear more of Straw Hat."

"Alright. I will stay until mid afternoon, but that's as long as I will stay. I have other places that I would like to see, but if you'd like me to help with anything, just name it and I'll see what I can do. After all, my magic has many uses."

"Of course. You may use the tent in the clearing." He said, pointing to a tent hidden by the trees at the end of the line of tents, it's canvas walls barely visible from her point of view. "It's a little away from the village and we mainly use it for the injured or sick. It's not much, but it'll get you through the night."

"Thank you." Rebecca said, turning as she left Wiper standing on his own, the townspeople now back in their own tents and the candles going out one by one as they fell asleep. As she walked into the tent, she saw the walls were lined with beds.

_Perfect. Lot's to choose from. They'll probably be all the same though since they're either futons or stretcher fabric._

Picking out a futon, she unrolled it and lay it out across the ornamental rugs that lined the floor of the tent. Taking off her hoodie and shoes, she got into the futon, feeling herself beginning to drift off to sleep as she closed her eyes. Just as it was about to take her, a small buzzing sound entered her range of hearing. Opening her eyes again, she listened to the noise. Soon realising that the noise was snoring, she grabbed her hoodie, putting it over her head to try and drown it out. Soon the rest of the village was joining in, a large amount of them all having a snooze fest. Even the guard outside her tent, that had been sent by the village chief, was sleeping whilst standing up. Undoing her illusion and reverting to her normal form, she groaned in annoyance at the noise.

(The morning after)

Walking out of the tent, Rebecca stretched out her bony body, the clicking of her joints filling the air as it scared off a few nearby birds. Lazily waving her hands over her limbs again, she created the illusion once again. Walking out of the tent, she immediately got turned around by Wiper.

"Wha-what are you doing, Wiper?" she asked, shooting in the dark at who was turning her around as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as the 'stranger' pushed her back towards the tent.

"You forgot your shoes." Wiper replied plainly, confirming it was him, as he stopped pushing her towards the tent. Looking down, she accepted that she'd forgotten her shoes and shivered as she remembered that she'd forgotten her hoodie too. Returning to the tent, she put on her shoes and hoodie, rolling up the futon that she'd used. Confident with her work, she carried the futon out.

"Is it too much to ask if I can have this? It's ok if I can't, I just need something to camp out with from now on." She asked Wiper. Before he could reply, the Chief interrupted her expected answer.

"I see you two are getting along. I expected more of a rebellious reaction from you, Wiper." He said, a look on his face one that said 'How did a guy like you end up befriending a stranger like her? That's not like you'.

"Chief, this girl has met Straw Hat Luffy. She was just with him when she came here yesterday by herself." Wiper said, relaying what Rebecca had told him.

"Did she now? How is that young boy these days? Seems only yesterday that he was here dealing with Eneru." The Chief replied, stroking his beard as he turned to Rebecca, looking at the illusion of her face, continuing "it's hard to believe that this is merely an image of your own making."

"He's absolutely fine. He has a trustworthy, courageous and selfless crew. I'm sure he's sailing the sea with his head held high, no matter what happens." She replied, curtly bowing a small bow.

_(Rebecca spent the remainder of the morning tiredly explaining the geography, history and current state of the Great Pirate Era, how Gol. D. Roger made his name known and how he died lighting a fire of hope in every adventurous soul that dared to follow their dreams. The time passed swiftly and the time for her departure came around quicker than she wished for.)_

Grabbing the few belongings she had in the medical tent, she stored them in her pocket dimension and began to float upwards.

"It's been great to meet you all, but I must be going. I want to see more of the world, so I guess I'll be on my way." As she listened to expect the reply, a group of three Shandian warriors that had been sent out on sentry duty ran into camp in a hurry.

"Wiper! Chief!" The leader of the group shouted, continuing "Stop that woman! She tried to fool Amazon into thinking she had paid the toll to enter Skypiea!"

"Houdini!" Rebecca shouted in a high pitched voice, reminiscent of the Star Wars jawa people. She set off at full speed to escape the spears and arrows that were being fired at her.

_So much for friendly relations. All I wanted to do was make some friends up here. Jeez. You'd think they'd be less uptight about paying tolls. What are they, politicians?_

"Get her! We have to stop her before she manages to escape to the blue sea!" The chief shouted, ordering the tribe to attack. As she flew off, she saw them stop running their faces one of shock and fear. Gasping, she noticed that her illusion had come undone.

_Damn it. I've used up too much energy over these last couple of days. I needed more sleep to replenish my energy but all that snoring stopped that from happenin'._

Flying at full speed, she flew below both the white white and the white sea within the space of a few hours, avoiding the Skypieans and Shandians as she did so. Seeing the big blue puddle of water beneath her, she smiled in relief.

"Hello there, friend. Long time no sea."

She flew on for hours on end, her flight gradually growing slower and slower as time passed slowly for her. Seeing several islands, she made a few pit stops to empty her bladder and stock up on food. Taking in the scenery and taking several breaks along the way, she saw the ominous black fog of Thriller Bark on the distant horizon. Looking closer to her, she saw a magnificent island shaped very much like a water fountain. Recognizing the island, she landed in the middle of the island. The reactions that she had anticipated happened around her, people screaming in terror as the ran away, the various parents shooing their children away out of fear. Turning down a dark alleyway, she sat down against the dark, sheltered and narrow path. Out of breath, she put away her staff, giving herself a moment to rest.

_I shouldn't push myself so hard. Getting to the Sabaody Archipelago is something I need to do, I have no idea as to the time it took for the Straw Hats to sail between Thriller Bark and there and Ace's vivre card was burning already. Which means he's been captured by Blackbeard and handed over to those blasted World Government bastards. I need to hurry._

Several hours passed and a shadow passed over the alleyway entrance "Hey." Someone said at her. Looking up, she saw a man with purple hair, dressed in formal clothes, a black vest top and trousers covering a pair of shiny black shoes. Pulling up her hood, she was about to get up but found her body too weak to stand.

" You look too tired to try and get up. I'll sit down instead." He said, sitting down next to her against the alleyway wall.

_What does Iceburg want with me? Doesn't he have something better to do, like run a whole island?_

Turning her head away from him out of courtesy, he noticed her change in mood.

"Your appearance is nothing to be ashamed of you know." He said, calmly. She began to look back at him as he continued "Though it may frighten people, it is who you are. You shouldn't be ashamed of that."

Taking down her hood, she looked directly at him. Her true appearance surprising him a little. "Answer me this, Iceburg. How would you go about life when you look like the undead?"

"Hmmm. That's a difficult one, even for me." He started, looking up at the sky as the sun began to set, it's rays staining the big blue canvas with various shades of red, orange and yellow "I guess, I'd try to find someone who accepts me for who I am, who wouldn't flinch away in terror at my appearance. Kind of like I am with you in a way." He finished looking back at her with a small friendly smile. Looking down at the ground she contemplated what she should do next, sighing as she felt unsure of what to do.

_I have knowledge of this world up to a certain point. Leading up to that point, I have no idea what I should do. The Battle of the Best is coming. I guess I should look ahead to that. But the only people who knew me aren't here though...are they?_

Standing up, he continued "I'm always looking for new hands at the shipyard. Having a pair as bony as yours might come in handy. You never know."

Grinning a wide smile, she chuckled a little to herself as she remembered the days of her world. The times she'd spent with Timi and Rachael, the laughs she'd had with Tim and David, the friends she had left behind but still felt in her heart were the truest she'd had, other than Brook, in her long life. Getting up, she looked Iceburg dead in the eye.

"Thanks for the invitation, but my presence on this island was but a pit stop. My devil fruit powers are fuelled by my own stamina, I just needed a little rest is all." She replied, denying his extended invitation.

"Well, should you ever need a place to return to, Water 7 is always in need of extra hands. Come find the shipyard if you ever decide to come back and I'll see what I can do about getting you a job." Iceburg replied, extending a hand in politeness. Shaking it, Rebecca summoned her staff once again, surprising Iceburg in the process.

"Now, I must be off. I am searching for some of my friends but I have no idea where they would be in a world as big as this one. Talking of friends, your pal Franky is doing alright. I saw him before I came here. He was pretty beaten up, but other than that, he's good." Rebecca replied politely, surprising Iceburg with news of his closest friend from childhood.

"That's great news. How's the ship doing?" he asked. The last time he had seen the Sunny was when he had proposed it's name before it had zoomed off into the horizon, he couldn't help but be a little curious.

"The Sunny? She's sailing like a dream. She did almost get stolen at one point, but a little help from a Warlord of the Sea helped with that." She replied, casually, saying it like it was but a small thing.

"A Warlord?! Just what kind of a fight did the Straw Hats go through?!" Iceburg asked in shock, worried for his friend and the ship they had built together.

"Well if I told you that, it would spoil the fun of Franky telling you himself now wouldn't it." Rebecca replied, levitating a little off the ground now.

"Wait, please! At least tell me your name!" He yelled as she was now floating above the houses of Water 7.

"It's Rebecca. And don't worry about me, worry about yourself for a change. Franky will be fine, he has Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats along for the ride with him." She finished as she flew off. Iceburg opened his mouth to call back but stopped himself. Watching her fly off, he thought to himself.

_How did she know my name?_

Seeing a stall selling Log Poses, she grabbed one as she flew past, switching it with a 100 berry note and creating a breeze through the market street. As she made her way out to sea, she saw the familiar dense, dark fog of the Florian Triangle. Flying up high above the sea, keeping her course straight, it was a good half a day before she finally made it to the other side of the fog, the moon setting as she flew out into a clear skied sea. Reading the Log Pose, she followed the stable compass needle.

Suddenly, everything went black. She felt her ass freefalling through the sky as she fell before falling unconscious.

_Oh crap..._

...

The sound of voices was fuzzy in her ears. The water that had soaked through her clothes now and she was struggling to take a deep breath, sticking with short, shallow breaths so as not to overdo herself. As her hearing finally came into focus, she heard what sounded like Robin.

_How did I manage to find myself back here?_

"It's...breathing. This thing, whatever it is, is alive." She felt her remove her hand from just above my mouth.

"Well now, I wouldn't go that far." The Rebecca replied, floating up into a standing position.

Chopper and Usopp jumped overboard in surprise, floating away as they gave up on being surprised.

"N-n-n-not another one."

**Note from author:**

Hey guys, just thought I'd let you know that now that Rebecca has landed on the Straw Hats ship, Timi's and Rebecca's chapters will be merging. This is to avoid further confusion of whose chapter is next and to make it easier to write. That is all. Hope you enjoyed it. :D


	41. Luffy's return, Ace taken to Marineford

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

_The war is close now and Luffy is going through Ivankov's treatment. By the time he gets up again, Ace will be on a ship to Marineford. Should I save Ace? Or should I let history take its course? This is all so confusing! Either way I look at it, this world will change dramatically whether he lives or dies. A new era will dawn. "Where there is death, there will always be death." Does that phrase...apply to the future of this world?_

_..._

Several hours had passed and Luffy's screaming continued. The never ending tormented screams of a brother struggling to saving his sibling. Sitting outside the door, David watched as Bon Clay told him to "hang in there", constantly telling Luffy that he could do it. She watched Bon Clay and the others until the screaming stopped, the entire group that had amassed outside the door completely out of breath, some of them collapsing from lack of oxygen. She saw a pool of blood pour out of the door, accompanied by several large knocks on the door, rattling the large, heavy chains holding it shut.

"FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDD!" Yelled Luffy from inside the isolated cell, the growling of his stomach like a monster you'd imagine in your nightmares. The men and women outside the cell rejoiced, happy that he had survived. Ivankov ordered them to bring all the food they could from the Okama Land food supply, whether it be raw or cooked. In a frenzied flurry, the mean got to work on retrieving the food, leaving it by the door as dish after dish of food disappeared. After at least 30 minutes of solid, non-stop eating, a large fat figure appeared, it's upper and lower halves skinny as twigs with the exception of his stomach. It protruded unhealthily would he have been a normal human. Forcing it into his limbs, he looked more lively and his muscle mass returned along with his stamina.

"I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCKKK!" He shouted to the whole room.

"Woah he absorbed all that energy?!" The whole crowd shouted in unison.

" There's no way you could've survived Magellan's poisons!" Someone shouted.

"He beat the poisoning in only 20 hours!"

"It's an unbelievable miracle."

"A miracle...this is more than a miracle." Ivankov said to himself. The entirety of Okama land came to Luffy's side, picking him up and throwing him up in the air with joy, cheering at his victory over Magellan's poison.

"Thank god..." Bon Clay said to himself.

"Oh...Bon-chan. You're alright after all." Luffy said, happy at seeing his friend was alright, even though he was covered in bandages.

"Stupid! Quit joking around! I'm the one who ought to be saying..." Bon Clay started, collapsing on the ground mid-sentence.

"You okay? Hang in there! What's wrong? Hey!" Luffy leapt to his side. Explaining to Luffy that throughout his treatment, Bon-Clay had been cheering for him the whole time, even until his throat had gotten dry and he was coughing up blood, Ivankov also explained to Luffy that it was not his own time to escape since he had been waiting for "that man" to make his move. Accidentally letting slip that Monkey. D. Dragon, the most wanted man in the world, was his father, the whole room reacted in shock to Luffy's simple confession. Ivankov went so far as to launch himself at a wall, feint fainting afterwards in sheer shock of the news.

_No surprise there. All these trannies and no room to breathe around here._

Luffy noticed David sitting on her own against the wall, her eyes closed. Jumping across the room, he came to her side.

"Hey. What's with you?" He said, getting right up in her face, surprising her as she opened her eyes.

"Holy f-. What the hell is wrong with you?!" He blurted out, almost instinctively.

"Hahahaha! You're funny." Luffy laughed, holding his stomach as he heartily let out his laughter.

"I see you've met David." Ivankov said, walking over to the two of them.

"David? But that's a guy's name." Luffy said, cocking his head to the side as he stared intently at David's chest.

"Do you mind?!" He shouted in Luffy's face, slapping him up the head.

"Other than you, Straw-boy, David is the only other person to survive Magellan's poison. He must have had a reason to keep on living, though he won't tell us what that reason is." Ivankov said. Looking back at David, Luffy saw her poke her tongue out, pulling down one of her lower eyelids.

"Bug off would ya?!" She said, annoyed at Luffy's closeness to him.

"What's got you bugged? Eeesh, it's like you have an octopus in your pants." He replied, standing up.

Inazuma handed him a yellow vest and his straw hat "You've survived, but that's all. You still need several days to recover.

"I don't have time. I've wasted enough time already! Sorry but can you guys look after Bon-chan? I'll come back for him later." He said, slipping on his signature hat and the yellow vest Inazuma had given him. Stumbling about, he struggled to gain a solid footing. Falling over, he took a few deep breaths. Sitting up again, he felt within the lining of his hat, taking out Ace's burning vivre card. "It's still pointing down. Ace is down there..." He stared at it a moment with worry.

"Isn't that a vivre card? This is a space between Levels 5 and 6. Now that you've recovered, I suppose you don't care about anything other than saving your brother, right? Well, it's none of my business what you do with your life." Ivankov replied.

David watched as the two talked, not reacting when everyone learned of his ancestry to Monkey. . He bided his time as he waited until they were all ready to attempt their escape of Impel Down.

"Finally, I'm going to get out of this tranny land and out into the world." He said to himself, standing up from his relaxed position against the wall. As Ivankov injected Luffy with Tension Hormones, the latter yelling out as the adrenaline took effect, David began to get warmed up, stretching as he readied his muscles to use what Dec had taught him.

As Inazuma, Ivankov and Luffy went running off, David followed them.

"Go back David." Inazuma warned him.

"I'll do what I please. I'm going to Level 6 and you can't stop me." He replied, not faltering as he ran close behind them, confident of his abilities.

"Oh, David? You coming along too?" Luffy asked, blissfully ignorant as always as he stated the obvious.

"Well, it's your life. Not like we can stop you, David-boy." Ivankov replied. The Army Wolves soon appeared, their eyes intent on killing the 4 of them.

Punching out one wolf and stomping out another Luffy shouted "MOVE IT! DON'T GET IN OUR WAY!" A death wink later and they were at the door to the corridor leading to Level 6.

"Inazuma! The keys!" Yelled Ivankov, hinting to Inazuma to open the door.

"Ivankov! Transform me back into a man! I need to look like myself for this fight. There's no way I am going into combat as a woman!"

"But you've trained your skills as a woman, I can't guarantee that you'll be able to use them as effectively in your male body."

"Idiot! I don't care about that! I just want my body back so I'll be taken a little more seriously! How many women are actually taken seriously on these seas?! Sure you have Boa Hancock, but she's one of the biggest sluts to sail the waters of the world and most of the men fall prey to her devil fruit powers simply by her appearance. I don't want to be like that, Ivankov! Change me back!" He shouted at him as Inazuma opened the doors to Level 6.

"Fine. Do what you want, David-boy!" Ivankov replied, sharply turning around and jabbing David in the ribs with his sharp, injecting nails. Hormones pumped out of them, reverting David's big-chested female form back into his smaller, less rounded male form.

"Thanks. Now let's get moving, it won't be long before Ace will be taken to the ships outside Impel Down." He ran on ahead, taking out the guards who came rushing up the corridor with Luffy by his side.

_**Meanwhile, down in Level 6...**_

"Well then...Portgas. . You will now be taken to the city where your execution is to take place, at Marineford!" Magellan said as one of the accompanying guards readied a set of sea-prism stone handcuffs.

...

As Ace was escorted to the lift to be taken out of Impel Down for his execution, he kept his eyes closed, his mind elsewhere.

_Why did you come here, Luffy? Even when we were kids you made me worry. And now you go and do this? Why?!_

The entire lift was in complete silence as they made their way up past all the other Levels.

_You were too late, Luffy. I'm a dead man._

Reaching the top floor of the ladder of Levels in Impel Down, Magellan, Ace and the guards accompanying him disembark. Walking sombrely, Ace contemplates himself and his existence in the world.

_I was born into this world as nothing more than the Pirate King's son. Now because of the demonic blood that runs in my veins, I am to be put to death. Some life this turned out to be._

Images of Sabo and Luffy as kids rush into his mind.

_I couldn't protect you, Sabo. And Luffy...you numbskull. I was always there to protect you, but now it seems...you have to walk life's path alone, without me._

Ace stopped walking as his bare feet met with the ground outside Impel Down.

"How unfortunate for you." Magellan said to him as he continued "I've been informed Straw-Hat arrived at Level 6 not long after we left. Our emergency sleeping gas was released a few moments ago. It seems Level 5's Freezing Hell wasn't enough for him. Fortunately, your cell is now available and we can inflict our ultimate torture on him down in Level 6."

Ace looked back at the open entrance to the top floor of Impel Down, hoping that his little brother was alright.

"Luffy..." He said to himself.

"Don't stop!" said one of the masked guards, another joining him "Keep walking!"

Faking it as he complied, he kicked one in the neck, taking down several more as he relieved a guard of his forked, trident-like spear. Magellan stepped in, grabbing the spear and throwing it away from Ace, pinning him to the ground with his enormous hand.

"Stop this futile resistance!" He shouted at Ace, the gate to Impel Down slowly sliding closed as Ace watched it with dwindling hope in his eyes.

"Luffy!" He shouted at the now closed gate, ever hopeful that his brother would hear him.

"Your brother is also a pirate by nature. There is no path to salvation for him." Magellan said, still holding Ace down as he too looked at the closed gate, only in triumph.

_I wanted it to be a lie! Why did you come, Luffy?!_

_**Back in Level 6...Ivankov attempts to persuade Luffy that all hope is lost for Ace.**_

"Are you stupid?! This is a battle between the world's greatest powers! What can you go if you go there? Do you have any idea how powerful Whitebeard is?! Do you realise the Navy's true strength in its admirals, vice-admirals and the Seven Warlords of the Sea?! Did you forget you fought Magellan one on one and almost died?! How many lives do you think you have to spare?!" He stopped, seeing the intense look on Luffy's face. "What is it?"

"If I give up now...I'll regret it forever!" He shouted, a look of unwavering determination in his eyes.

Ivankov gasped, taking a few steps backward.

_This feeling...I've felt it countless times before...It's exactly the same feeling I get when looking at Dragon._

"Before that, we can't even escape this floor." Inazuma said, laying out flat their predicament.

"I think there's a man down here that may be able to help us." David said, the walls filling with the laughter of a single man. A laughter Luffy knew all too well.

"Hehehehe. If you wanna escape from here, then set me free. I can open a hole in the ceiling." He started, the jangling of chains echoing throughout Level 6 as he walked to his bars, his face becoming visible in the dim light. Luffy gasped at recognising the adversary he had faced in Alabasta so long ago that now stood before him.

"So, how about it?" Crocodile asked, his low laughter still filling the cold walls of Level 6 with their bone chilling sound.

"You...you're a prisoner here?! Crocodile!" Luffy said, astonished that the man who had hurt his friend and almost wrecked her kingdom was standing before him.

"Long time no see...Straw Hat."


	42. Luffy's comeback and Bon's Courage

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"Long time no see...Straw Hat."

...

The conversation dragged on, time ticking as seconds passed seemingly slowly, the time for Ace's execution drawing ever closer. David waited quietly as they talked it out.

_Let's go already. How long is this gonna take?!_

After a heated argument between a now freed Crocodile and Jinbei, David waited for Inazuma to create a spiral walkway into the hole Crocodile had created. Setting off at sprinting speed, Luffy quickly overtook him, their progress to Level 5 fast as they collected clothes for Crocodile and retrieved reinforcements from Newkama Land along the way. A number of guards opened fire upon the unstoppable force that awaited them as Crocodile eroded the door. To no avail, the unstoppable group busted through them with a combination attack of devil fruit powers and Fishman Karate. Continuing their assault up to Level 4,their arsenal of fighters continued to grow. Mr.1, or as he was known by many, Daz Bones, was freed by Crocodile and Mr.2 caught up with the men on the front row of the assault team.

Elsewhere, Magellan prevents the riot that Buggy the Clown and Mr.3 attempted to create on Level 2, deciding to release Shiryuu of the Rain, the previous Head Jailer of Impel Down, as Blackbeard and his crew now make their march upon the front door of Impel Down. With Magellan unsuspecting of Shiryuu's motives, the guards sent to free him lay dead upon Level 6's cold stone floor, their bodies slashed open by the former Head Jailer's sword.

Taking the route to Level 3, they stop as the door to the upper level open mysteriously on their own, later revealing Hannyabal and a group of guards. Nets appeared from nowhere as Luffy and Inazuma jumped back in surprise, narrowly escaping being captured themselves. Stepping out of the shadows, Hannyabal wielded a twin bladed halberd, blocking their escape as the guards stood their ground on the stairs that led up to Level 2. Their fight began, neither one budging in their morals. One intent on keeping his prisoner from escaping, the other wanting to save what was most dear to him. Two warriors locked in combat.

Bending down, Luffy placed his fist on the floor, pushing his leg muscles down as he pumped more of his blood into his heart, entering Gear Second. David let loose a quick succession of sharp jabs to Hannyabal's pressure points, locking his joints in place before he had time to see him coming. Releasing his Gum Gum Jet Gatling Gun, Hannyabal could do little as he was pummelled repeatedly, dropping to the ground unconscious and covered in blood.

Just as Luffy thought he'd caught a small break, Hannyabal got up, covered in his own blood, his pride damaged. Evident by the look in his eyes, he refused to let Luffy past.

"Damn. I have to hurry, or Ace will..." Luffy started, not finishing his sentence as Hannyabal stood there panting.

"I'm not...LETTING YOU PAST!" He shouted, fresh determination in his eyes.

(Meanwhile, back on Level 2. Marshall. , or as he is known to many, Blackbeard, breaks the poison blocking the door that was left behind by Magellan to prevent Buggy, Mr.3 and the other prisoners from escaping.)

"You pirates and rebels earned your reputations outside by committing crimes!" Hannyabal started, struggling to stand as his fellow guards were shouting at him to stay down, warning him that he could die otherwise. "Civilians can't sleep at night fearing that their loved ones will lose their lives...and it's all because of you scum who dare to sail the seas!" He paused, catching his breath as he held himself up on his naginata, continuing "And that is why we imprison the most dangerous criminals in the world...to make sure the defenceless civilians can rest easy! This is the fortress of hell! If it were to fall, the whole world would decend into the depths of fear! I said I wouldn't let you pass, so you're not taking a single step past me!"

_Any minute now, that bastard will arrive. I can't wait to wring his fat neck, that bastard deserves what's coming to him! Bring. It. On!_

The prison guard looked on, some in tears at his heroic and bold attitude, not taking any shit from the pirates that stood before him as Luffy gave him the evils, unsure of what to do next.

"Ace is important to me! Now move it!" Luffy shouted at the hopeless Deputy Warden.

"I can't reason with such a fool!" Hannyabal replied. He heard the sound of screaming from behind him. Turning, he saw nothing but darkness engulfing his comrades.

As Buggy enjoyed having the longest piss of his life, Mr.3 and the some other prisoners that they had released earlier, found the previously poisonous archway empty, Magellan's poison spread across the floor haphazardly. They made their way up to Level 1 as the Blackbeard pirates made their way swiftly down to Level 4, taking out all the guards with no effort and leaving Hannyabal to stand alone.

"Just give it up!" Came a booming and ugly voice, one that Luffy recognised from a long time ago. A voice he had not heard since before his voyage to Skypiea.

_Here he is. I could kill him right now. That bastard!_

A man with unkempt black hair, held down by a captains hat, a large black coat and a black undershirt, topped off with a pair of unsightly large shoes that reminded David of clowns, he could only stare down the monster of a man that stood before him.

"Don't go around spouting all that crap about 'Justice' or 'Evil'!" It came again, the darkness parting to reveal a foot close to Hannyabals face. "You can look all over the world..." the foot met with Hannyabal's blood covered features as the voice finished "...but you'll _never_ find an answer! RIDICULOUS!"

_Blackbeard. That son of a bitch._

Trying his best to contain his rage, David couldn't help but clench his fists so hard that they bled. He clenched his teeth together hard and his anger burnt through in his scowl. Seeing the scarlet drops and hearing David's angry laboured breathing, Blackbeard turned to him.

"What's got you rattled, _squirt_?" He enunciated as if to insult David, pushing him further into his rage induced mood.

"You bastard! How could you?! He was a comrade of yours! How...how could you murder Thatch?!" David shouted, rushing Blackbeard quicker than he could react, holding him down by his fat neck, strangling him slowly and painfully as he dug his claw-like spindly fingers into his oesophagus.

"Simple. He had something I wanted. Something he did not deserve. He got in the way of my goal and the idiot paid the ultimate price for it. Zehahaha!" He let out his gruff and disgustingly sadistic laugh. David let loose a whole host of nerve blocking attacks, some of which were designed for the body to take air bubbles into the bloodstream, killing the recipient in the process if successful. Blackbeard's crew readied themselves but were stopped as their captain raised a hand to them, signalling them not to interfere.

Luffy looked on as David did his best to attack the man he remembered from Jaya, astonished as to David's strength and the anger in his eyes that blinded him to interference or potential reason. He watched as he let loose nerve block after nerve block until Teach's entire body was blocked and yet as David stood back, out of breath from the large array of attacks he had let loose, Blackbeard took his turn to strangle and maim.

"Learn your place, boy. This is no place for a weakling like you!" Watching David turn an unhealthy shade, he released his grip, launching a kick under his diaphragm for good measure, his laughter filling the halls of Impel Down with its undying evil.

"David-chan!" Ivankov called, now in his woman form, catching him before he hit the ground. David coughed up blood before falling unconscious, the force of the kick winding him substantially and the pain that had ridden up his spine temporarily shocking his nervous system. Luffy looked at his limp form, unsure of what David had spoke of. Brushing it aside, he approached Blackbeard.

_This man...he captured Ace._

(Luffy flashbacks to when he met with Ace in Alabasta) "_I'm looking for a certain man. He calls himself Blackbeard._"

(Then to Jaya, when he Blackbeard the first time) "_People's dreams...will never end!_"

(To Amazon Lily, when he heard of Ace's capture) "_I heard that a pirate called Blackbeard managed to join the Warlord by capturing Fire Fist Ace._"

"So you're...Blackbeard?!" He said, looking at Blackbeard dead in the eyes, his anger towards his brothers captor evident in his eyes as they were thrown like daggers at Blackbeard.

"Oh?...Long time no see, Straw Hat!" Blackbeard replied, acting high and mightily in the situation that he currently controlled.

Whilst the heated argument and explanation of how his brother came to be captured happened, Ivankov picked up David as he slipped into an unconscious dream. Drifting back into his own world's memories, he was sent to a bowling alley. Looking around, he saw his friends, all laughing and cheering, but there was someone missing.

_Where am I? I was here in this memory but I'm not here now. Is this real? Was this all just a dream I had? Which one is the real world? Which one is...my world?_

Coming to...David found himself now being carried by Jinbei. Slowly opening his eyes, he attempted to focus on his surroundings.

"Ah, Davi-kun. Are you alright?" Jinebi asked, not stopping as he ran through Level 2 with him in his arms.

"Yeah. I can barely feel my body though." David replied, bringing up his right hand, wiggling his fingers as he attempted to gain feeling in his limbs again.

"NOT MAGELLAN TOO?! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE ON THIS FLOOR?!" David heard a familiar voice, shouting in over reaction. Turning, he saw Buggy and Mr.3, mouths wide open in realisation of their possible demise that now stared them in the face.

"Ivankov and Inazuma didn't stop him. Looks like they have a plan in mind." David said, pushing himself away from Jinbei and landing on shaky legs.

"Are you sure you're ok? Maybe you should rest more."

"Yeah. Magellan has another motive right now." David looked up at a nearby ledge where a few guards stood huddled over a transponder snail. "He plans to bring the entire force of the remaining guards down on us as his last attempt at preventing our escape."

"But that's...?!" Jinbei started before being interrupted by David again.

"We need to reach the main entrance before they do. Magellan's poison won't keep Blackbeard out of the fight for long. Make sure Luffy gets there safely, Mr.2." David said, nodding in his direction. Turning towards where the guards had been stood, he watched them run away to find the other guards.

"Davi-kun, are you sure you'll be alright by yourself?"

"I'll meet you guys before they close the gate again. You'd better get ready for a party. By the end of this, we'll all be free and on our way to Marineford, because...the real fight hasn't even started yet." He grinned subtly and put up a thumb before running off in the direction of the guards.

_I just hope I know what I myself am doing. If my judgement and memory is right, Magellan has put Ivankov and Inazuma out of the fight for now but they'll soon be up again. Seems useless if a miracle worker doesn't have an ace up his sleeve. Le.I'll take out those guards, send a fake message, meet back up with Ivankov and then get out of this hell._

Coming up behind the guards, he snuck into the small group, locking all their joints in quick succession, knocking all but one unconscious by hitting the nerve point on their necks. One after another they all fell into slumped heaps of human jelly, the remaining conscious man dropping his mini transponder snail.

"Now then, gentlemen. I believe you are going to help me." He said, picking up a sword that one of the other men had dropped, an evil grin crossing his face as he laughed like a sadistic madman. Picking up the snail, he held it in his hand upright as he continued "You're going to call the men you just called and issue an order for me. If you don't, I'll make sure you all die slowly and painfully with air in your hearts. Got it?" He said, bringing the sword up to the leader's neck.

"R-r-right." The scared man replied, not having much choice as he whimpered with tears rolling down his cheeks at the frightening sight of the long haired man before him. Unlocking only the leader's shoulder joints, he watched as he keyed in the same number that he had just used to communicate to his comrades and told him the order he wished to issue, wanting the guards to back up Magellan instead of blocking the exit to Impel Down's complex.

_If I know my One Piece, Shiliew will have destroyed the comm's hub by now. No signals will go via there so it will take longer to get a message across. Hopefully, this will work._

The other end of the mini transponder snail picked up their receiver, the sound of a young man, no older than his early twenties began talking.

"Hey, is everything ok over there?" He asked.

"Yes. There's been a change in orders by Magellan himself. Belay the previous order. Gather all guards you can find in a short time and provide backup to the warden's flank. Stop the prisoners from escaping at all costs." He said in as serious a voice as he could muster.

"Confirmed and Understood. Is that all?" The other man replied.

"That will be everything. Call back to confirm rendezvous point." The leader ordered, taking command of the coups d'état.

"Right."

Hanging up the transponder snail, the leader looked up at David.

"Now please, have mercy! Take my men if you have to, just spare me please!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. David withdrew the sword, making the man smile in relief. His short-lived respite soon ended as David hit the nerve point on his neck, making him fall silent like the rest of the men on the floor.

"Sorry, but I don't listen to weak ass punks like you. The so called 'scum' you locked up in here at least has better morals than you shit faced bastards do." He said, making a point of what he was saying, even though the men before him were all unconscious. Finding the store cupboard for the floor, he found some rope and handcuffs as well as some old rags. Taking the hand cuffs and rags, he cuffed and tied up the guards and used the old rags for mouth gags for good measure so they could not call out. Wiping a piece of hair that way in the way of his vision, he set off at a run to intercept any guards that may have already reached the staircase. Seeing only a minor few, he hit their necks, leaving them limp against the wall.

"Sorry guys, but I got somewhere to be." He said to no one in particular as he heard a familiar shout of determination from behind him that could only be Luffy's. "And I believe, so does he."

Buggy's freed prisoners pushed opened the door with their combined effort, rushing out onto the dock, their faces soon turning from happiness and joy to confusion and hopelessness. There were no ships in the harbour for them to steal, as was the original plan.

"Shit! How the hell are we supposed to get out of here then?!" A prisoner shouted. The prisoner's spirits were in shambles, their hope dashed as they thought of their inevitable demise at the hands of Magellan, many of them collapsing to their knees as they held their heads in their hands.

"Leave this to me!" Jinbei said, coming up behind them as he tore a door off and jumped in the water. "All those who have the resolve to fight, get on!"

Crocodile and Daz Bones (A.K.A Mr.1) were the first to climb aboard. David also hopped up onto the door.

"Huh? What's a pup like you doing up here with the big shots?" Crocodile asked, looking David's scrawny figure up and down once.

"Never you mind. I have as much right to do this as you do. At least this way there'll be less casualties of war, I have no interest in killing people." David replied. They were soon joined by Buggy, who had left the pier of Impel Down solely for the reason that it was safer than waiting for Magellan outside Level 1's doors.

Launched onto deck of the ship by Jinbei's Fishman Karate technique, all weapons were now pointed at them. Crocodile and Daz Bones made quick work of the marines, along with David, who used his blocking techniques to keep the enemy alive and interrogate them before throwing them overboard. Hearing a huge ruckus coming form Impel Down, David looked over the railings as a giant red hand reached out to grab an object that had come flying out of Impel Down. As it came closer, he saw the giant purple hair that could only belong to Ivankov.

"Heads Up!" David shouted, getting Mr.1 and Crocodile's attention. As it seemed they would hit the sea, a large swarm of whale sharks appeared out of nowhere, giving Ivankov and Luffy a safe landing.

"Amazing!" Luffy shouted, amazed at what he was seeing.

David got out of the way as Ivankov, along with all the people holding onto him made a crash landing. The sound of a wheel turning could be heard as David saw Jinbei turn the warship. He stared up at the Gates of Justice, large and intimidating, standing closed before them. The marines open fired on the stolen galleon, missing many shots and the ones getting close bounced back by Luffy or disposed of by the other devil fruit users aboard. Unsure of how they would open the gates, David looked back at Impel Down as he knew who had stayed behind to open them.

_Bon, I hope to see you again someday. Even if you are a weird mofo._

The gates began to open much to the surprise of everyone but David whilst Jinbei told Luffy where Mr.2 currently resided. Soon after the ship began heading through the gates, they began shutting, making their time tight to pass through. Taking out a transponder snail, Jinbei held it out for him, telling him that it was still connected but that when the gates closed, they would lose contact with him.

"Hey! Bon-chan! Can you hear me?" Luffy began shouting down the snail. David stared out the gates as he listened to the what would become emotional transmission between the two close friends. "Why are you doing this again...just like you did last time?! Weren't going to escape together?! You just keep saving me over and over again! If you're there, then answer me, Bon-chan!"

David closed his eyes as he knew exactly what was going on inside Impel Down. As Bon-chan had destroyed the gate mechanism, he had ensured their escape but at the cost of his freedom. All aboard who knew him, both closely and as an acquaintance, begged him to answer as the rain of cannon fire continued.

"Bon-chan...the gates are closing. We're...going." Luffy choked on his words as he held back his sadness at leaving behind a friend. As he heard the white noise begin to set in, he, along with the crew who had escaped Impel Down together, shouted their thanks.

"STRAW-CHAN!" came Bon Clay's loud and sadness filled voice from the other side of the snail as he continued "You have to save your brother, no matter what!" He began breaking up as Luffy's tears streamed down his face. "I'm sure...you can...save your brother!"

"BON-CHAN!" Luffy yelled, the tears not stopping. As the gates closed behind them, the transmission cut out, with Luffy remembering all the fun times him and Bon Clay had shared with each other.

David stared off into the distance as he knew it was time Luffy and the others knew of who he truly was.

"Luffy, I know you're heartbroken, but..." He started, getting their attention "...there's something I need to tell you. Something that I should have told you long before we reached this point. And I'm afraid, you're going to hate me for the rest of your life because of it."

**Word Meanings:**

Naginata - Double bladed staff weapon.

Oesophagus - A.K.A the windpipe. We use this part of the body to inhale and exhale breath.

Mofo - an abbreviation of mother fucker.


	43. R & T reunited! Unknown adventures await

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"N-n-n-not another one."

...

Placing a hand on her staff, Rebecca barely held herself upright as she found herself once again in the presence of her former Captain and the Straw Hat crew.

"Well that was a short trip." She said, placing her left hand on her head to scratch an imaginary itch. "Fancy seeing you guys again so soon. I thought it'd be in the New World when I saw you next."

"Oh Rebecca! This is a pleasant surprise, so nice of you to DROP IN on us! Yohohoho! Skull joke!" Brook said, spinning on one foot with arms in the air as Rebecca grinned in happiness at seeing him again.

"I see you haven't changed, Brook. And what about the rest of you guys? Has Zoro recovered a bit from Thriller Bark?"

Sanji pulled Usopp and Chopper back onto the deck sopping wet and out of breath. He took out a cigarette from his jacket pocket that he had left on deck "Moss head is still getting back on his feet. The battle itself took a toll on him, though he doesn't let on that it does."

"Well at least he's awake. That's the main thing."

_(Meanwhile in the training room)_

"What's all the ruckus about downstairs?" Timi asked herself. Looking out the window, she saw everyone she would normally see on the crew. She counted them off. Luffy, Zoro (who was currently with her in the training room) Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky and Brook. Looking closer, she thought she saw two skeletons. Rubbing her eyes and looking again, she knew she wasn't imagining things. Brook was there, but who was the short bony figure with him?

"Hey! Keep practising!" She heard Zoro order from in front of her, startling her a little. Looking down at the katana, she sheathed it and left it leaning on the sofa.

"I'll be right back! I want to see who that is!" Timi said, sliding down the ladder before Zoro could even call out to stop her.

"Honestly, what am I gonna do with her? She has the attention span of an unlaced shoe when she's distracted by something." Zoro said to himself, picking up the sword she had left behind as he followed her down the ladder for a break from his teaching and his training exercises. As Timi came racing out onto the deck, she ran right up to the skeleton, looking into Rebecca's empty eye sockets in intrigue and having no respect for personal space.

"Can you not?!" Rebecca shouted at Timi's face, her voice partially cracking as she pushed her small head away from her own with a bony hand.

"Wait a minute...what's your name?" Timi said, pointing to Rebecca with one hand with the other on her hip, a look on her face that said 'I think I know you but I can't be certain'.

"I am Lady Melonworthy of Poop Town. What else do you think my name is, Timi?" She said jokingly as she put on her illusion, a mirage of her former self now covering her bones.

"Becca!" Timi shouted in happiness as she threw herself at her boney friend, locking her in a bone crushing bear hug.

"Ugh...Timi, can't breathe here..." Rebecca said as she faked being strangled.

"I don't care. I'm just happy to see you." She replied, smiling with her head against Rebecca's bony chest.

"Well that's good because I don't have a windpipe. Haha!" She put away her staff, returning the bear hug with her own, ecstatically happy to see one of her best friends again. They both danced around, cheering in each other's arms.

"Oh! You two know each other, Timi?" Luffy asked, a big grin on his face as usual, noticing how happy Timi looked alongside her old friend.

"Know each other? We're practically sisters! Me and this nutter go way back." Timi replied, giving Rebecca a nuggie.

"Hey, hey! Lay off! That tickles!" She said, pushing Timi's arm away gently.

"I thought I was the only one." Timi said, tears filling her eyes.

Putting a bony hand on Timi's head, Rebecca stroked her hair. "Even if I wasn't here, alongside you, I would always have been with you..." she pointed to Timi's heart "...in here." Timi embraced Rebecca, this time in a friendly cuddle, the warm tears streaming down Timi's face as they soaked into Rebecca's baggy and tattered clothes. "I know you would never forget me, no matter how hard you'd have tried, Timi." She put her arms around Timi's small shoulders into her own gentle hug.

"So this is where you ran off to." Came Zoro's deep voice from behind them. The entire crew had gathered to see the reunion of the two friends.

"Oh! That's right, you were unconscious when we first met Rebecca on Thriller Bark. She was once a member of Brook's crew, the Rumbar Pirates." Usopp said, explaining to Zoro.

"That's me!" Rebecca replied, letting Timi go as she dried her happy tears.

"I guess this means you aren't the only one from your world to make it here, Rebecca." Brook said casually. Timi began to look a little uncomfortable.

"Wait...from her world?" Nami asked, a little confused. The straw hats all looked to Timi for answers. She had begun to look upset as well as guilty.

"Hmm...I thought this might be the case. You haven't told them yet, have you?" Rebecca said, staring at Timi intently with her empty eye sockets.

"No." Was all Timi answered.

"Never mind all that. We can talk about that as we party! Tonight we're having a banquet. Sanji! Make us a feast!" Luffy shouted at the curly browed cook.

"If it's for a lady, I'll do anything. But I still have a hard time believing that this pile of bones is a lady." Sanji replied, taking the cigarette out of his mouth as he blew out the smoke.

"I told you last time we met Sanji, count the ribs bro." Rebecca replied.

"Still not buying it."

_Clearly he will need physical evidence. Guess I have to go with Plan B._

Putting on the illusion of her original body again, Sanji immediately started doing his spaghetti dance, hearts floating in the air around him. She changes into a white shirt and a blue hoodie that was lined with fur, a pair of baggy jeans covering her flesh barren bones in a way that was oddly reminiscent of Sans from Undertale, leaving Sanji to suffer a raging nosebleed.

_Talk about hentai. Guess he'll never change._

"All of this happiness is making me teary. How sad that you were separated from one another and are now reunited. This is really SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPEEERRR!" Franky finished, shouting his trademark phrase which accompanied his super pose.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. Timi." Zoro called over to his student. Running up to him, Zoro took out a small unpolished ruby stone with a silver chain that had been threaded through a small hole in the uneven surface of the rock. "I was meant to give this to you." He placed the stone in Timi's hands. Holding it up, she was mystified and in awe of the pretty red gem. "I was told by a voice to give it to you whilst I was unconscious on Thriller Bark. Usually I'm not the type to listen but I thought, what the hell."

"Pretty..." Was the only word she could manage as she held the gem up to the sunlight.

"I made that for you. I knew you liked the colour red so I picked up a few gems before I left Thriller Bark. I thought a ruby would be a fitting jewel for you." Rebecca said.

"So you were the one I heard in my sleep. That explains why I thought you sounded familiar, though I'd never met you face to face before." Zoro replied.

As the sun touched the sea, Sanji called everyone into the kitchen for dinner. Rebecca left her illusion on as she entered the kitchen. A hundred different smells hit her nostrils at once and she was unsure which of the amazing looking dishes she should try first. The majority of the table was covered in seafood dishes, so as she sat down, she made sure Luffy didn't get his hands on the beef stir fry dish and the egg fried rice. Downing both, she burped loudly, smiling as everyone looked at her in surprise, with the exception of Luffy who kept eating whilst everyone else, except for Timi, left their food unguarded.

"What? You guys know I don't have a stomach anymore right?"Rebecca said, holding her fake mid region, laughing at the others faces and the fact that Luffy was stealing their food. They partied well into the night, with Usopp singing songs about himself, Zoro drinking all the booze, Luffy eating everything he could get his hungry hands on and Nami complaining about how carefree the boys were. Timi and Rebecca laughed at them all as shenanigans happened throughout the night. It was only the morning after, when the sun began to rise did they begin sleeping off the party. Rebecca helped Sanji clear away the plates as she noticed Zoro and Usopp sleeping next to each other on deck.

"Hey Sanji, watch this." Rebecca said, using her powers to alter their body positions. Getting them close together, she got Zoro to put his hand behind Usopp's curly hair whilst having Usopp put a hand on Zoro's inner thigh, getting their faces close together for good measure. Sanji burst out laughing, clutching his stomach in pain as he rolled around on the deck uncontrollably. Hearing the commotion, Luffy came up to them, having much the same reaction as Sanji had done. With the three of them rolling in uncontrollable laughter on the deck, their fits not stopping, they had managed to wake the intimate couple. Sleepily looking into each other's eyes for a moment, they both soon shuffled away from each other as fast as they possibly could.

"What the-...USOPP?!" Zoro shouted, surprised at the sudden closeness of his crewmate.

"What the hell were you doing, Zoro?! You gave me a freaking heart attack! Are you trying to kill me?!" He shouted back. Rebecca giggled hard, her slightly sadistic nature making her laugh seem a little maniacal. All the ruckus had awoken Timi as she sleepy stood up, making her way to the bathroom with a sudden spurt of energy, giving Sanji a random high five on the way there, thanking him as whilst she ran, for the delicious food from the party.

As the crew cleared up, Marines were spotted on the horizon as a storm blew in. Securing everything below deck that was fragile or that may roll around, the crew worked together to wait out the storm. Rebecca used her magic to make sure no one fell overboard as Timi helped with keeping the sail secure and took the helm as the hurricane force winds forced the Marines to give up the chase, losing the pirates to the unnaturally strong weather. Upon exiting the storm, they saw an island. Lush green trees lined the shore and as they looked further inland, they saw snow covered mountains, stretching a wide expanse of the island.

"Woah! An island!" Luffy shouted atop his perch on Sunny's figurehead "I'ma go see what it's like! Yahoo!" He jumped up to the top of the main mast, launching himself off with Gum Gum Rocket.

"Wait, Luffy!" Nami shouted.

"Well, we know Luffy. He sees an island and by the time you look at him, he's gone. I for one am not staying here. I'd be bored out of my mind." Timi said, jumping overboard onto the Mini Merry that Chopper had brought around alongside the ship.

"Does anyone on this ship not worry for what could be out there?! I mean...I have the 'I can't go on that island or I'll die' disease." Usopp said, slumping against the wall that separated the kitchen and the main deck.

"Well then you can guard the ship. We need someone to stay behind anyway." Sanji replied, chucking a backpack at Franky which contained bento boxes, lighting a cigarette with unwavering swag.

"Hey! You still have training!" Zoro shouted over the edge of the ship firmly, his voice one of a strict instructor.

"Don't worry, I'll finish my training when we get back." Timi said, doing the innocent anime waving of the hand as she clearly had no intention of finishing her training at the present moment.

"Grrr...fine. Me, Usopp and Nami will stay with the ship. You guys go take a look around. Hey curly cook! Try finding some food whilst you're at it." Zoro said, throwing a bokken at Timi before walking away from the edge of the ship.

"Don't tell me what to do!...and WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS?!" Timi shouted after him. Jumping down onto Mini Merry, Sanji pointed out a grove of trees that looked like they had ripe fruit hanging from them. Timi, Robin, Chopper and Franky made their way to the island with Sanji standing on the back of the boat due to the lack of room.

"For once in a while, the moss head's right. We need to stock up on supplies. After last night's banquet the fridge is completely empty. We don't even have cheese." Sanji said, looking at the shoreline. Looking up at him, Timi pondered.

_I wonder what his last name is? I guess right now it doesn't matter but it'd be interesting to know if he even has one._

Sanji saw her looking at him and immediately went spaghetti-style dance, hearts floating around him like the love-struck maniac he was.

"Are you falling for me, Timi? I'd be more than happy! Ahaha!" He said, ever hopeful. Timi responded plainly with a punch to his face, knocking him overboard. Sitting down again, she heard Brook jump from the ship as he skirted across the water, laughing with glee with Rebecca in tow as she hovered closely to its azure surface. Grabbing Sanji's hand, Rebecca gave him a small lift to shore, dropping him so he would land awkwardly on the shore as she herself made a smooth landing.

No sooner had they landed did Timi run off in pursuit of Luffy, the pair disappearing off into the dense foliage in search of food, enjoying a friendly game of tag whilst they were at it.

"Hey guys! Wait up!" Chopper shouted after them "Ugh...we got a new crew member and she's just as crazy as our captain. I'm beginning to think it may have been a bad idea." He soon regretted his words as a foot came down on his head, leaving a steaming lump. "Ow! Sanji!"

"I won't be hearing any bad things about Timi-schwan. She's part of the crew now, so live with it. Besides...isn't she cuuuuuuuuuuuuute?"" Sanji replied, Usopp sighing at the cook's hopelessness as he watched from the ship.

"Let's get going. We don't want to lose them." Robin said, leading the group as she entered the jungle by herself.

"Wait...Robin-chan!" Sanji shouted after the dark humoured woman, his mind in a pink place.

"Are you sure you can't help him?" Franky asked Chopper.

"There's no cure for stupid. I even looked into it once." He replied. Everyone entered the dense brush lining the shore, however, just as Chopper was about to enter the trees, he sensed something strange. Looking up, he thought he heard a strange animal cry. Something seemed wrong to him as the sound abruptly ended, leaving him to question the safety of the jungle and what awaited them within it's unknown.


	44. Volcanic turmoil

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

Everyone entered the dense brush lining the shore, however, just as Chopper was about to enter the trees, he sensed something strange. Looking up, he thought he heard a strange animal cry. Something seemed wrong to him as the sound abruptly ended, leaving him to question the safety of the jungle and what awaited them within it's unknown.

...

_(Meanwhile, Luffy and Timi have also gotten lost)_

"Timi! You see anything?" Luffy shouted up as Timi clung to the top of a tree that had grown over the others, straining to see anything in the now harsh sunlight that had revealed itself after the storm clouds had disappeared.

"Not a thing. The sun's too bright for me to see anything to catch and I can't see any of the fruit trees we saw earlier. I guess that we'll have to walk around until we find the others again." She shouted back down, letting go of the tree.

"Screw walking!" Luffy wound his arm around Timi's waist, holding her against his side. Letting out his left arm, he grabbed a thick and strong branch. Once he began struggling, he let his feet leave the ground, launching the pair into the sky.

"Wooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaah! This is amazing!" Timi shouted, arms raised in the air as she laughed with Luffy. As they laughed in midair, Luffy spotted a weird creature flying towards the mountains. He shielded his eyes to see better.

"That can't be right. Lions can't fly...can they?" he asked in confusion.

Confused by her captain's strange question, he pointed towards the mountains. Timi saw the flying animal and looking closer, she saw an eagles head. "Eagles don't have four legs...do they?" She then asked in confusion "Unless..." Before she had time to finish, they came crashing down dead centre in the forest, landing on something soft and furry.

"Arrrrrrgh! I want to live! Don't hurt me!" Came a familiar high pitched voice.

"Chopper?" Timi looked down, soon realising that they had flattened the ship's doctor. Getting off quickly, she pulled Luffy off of him as he looked up to see the Eagle/Lion coming in to land at the foot of the mountains. "You ok?" Timi asked the reindeer, brushing herself off.

"I'm not hurt, I just got separated from the others. I heard a strange animal cry earlier and it was scary so I guess I just panicked." He replied.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Luffy shouted as he ran off in the direction of the mountains with Timi following close behind.

"Don't forget me! I don't want to be eaten out here!" Chopper whined, a small tear in his eye as he ran after them, his back hurting a bit from the initial shock of the pair's landing.

_(Meanwhile, Robin and Franky, along with a wet Sanji, make their way through the jungle towards the mountains as Rebecca flies above them, scouting out the forest)_

As Rebecca flew through the sky, she saw Timi and Luffy land in a small clearing near the base of the mountains with Chopper underneath them. Knowing they could look after themselves, she flew over them, following the mountainside. As she passed the snow capped peaks, she came out into a clearing, hidden from the sight of prying eyes and sheltered at the base of the mountains. A wide rock tunnel lead to a lake with many fruit trees lining it's banks. Thinking to turn back and find Sanji's group again, the sight of something that was on the bank of the lake stopped her. Flying closer, an eagle's head and a lion's tail came into view. She took cover in the trees behind the creature before it knew she was there, pondering to herself.

_Is that..._

Next thing she knew, her arms were pinned to the ground as the creature turned fast on its feet, pouncing on her and holding her against the moist ground of the forest. Her staff landed a few feet away but it was too far for her to reach. Closing her eyes as she waited for a severe pain, she felt power well up inside her as a wave of energy passed from her hand, knocking it away from her. She looked surprised at what she had, as if unexpected. As she got up to try and give it another blast, a hand flew out of the forest, hitting the Griffin square in the jaw. It let out a loud screech in rage, landing on all fours after using the momentum of the hit to do so.

Luffy's voice echoed out loudly from the forest as he came racing out of the trees onto the damp banks of the oasis, his face angry. Letting loose a loud screech, everyone covered their ears as the Griffin took off. "You're not getting away!" Luffy shouted after it, grabbing one of its legs. Bringing its legs up to its head, it bit into Luffy's wrist, sending blood gushing out of his arm as Timi and Chopper raced out of the forest.

"Becca! You ok?" Timi shouted, the bokken in her left hand as she helped her friend off the ground, handing Rebecca her staff.

"I'm fine. What was Luffy reacting for?" Rebecca replied, unsure of whether to thank him or reprimand him for interrupting her conversation with the winged beast.

As Luffy's scream of pain echoed through the oasis, Chopper got ready to launch Timi. "Aim me at the Gryphon's back, I can do the rest." Timi ordered Chopper as he got into position.

"Are you sure about this, Timi?" He asked, unsure of her motives.

"Not in the slightest." She leapt into his cradled palms and he launched her into the air towards the beast, bringing up the bokken as she flew past it. Getting Luffy to let go, the Griffin tossed him to the ground like a broken ragdoll, it's face now one of pure rage as it let out a deafening screech.

Timi came down on the Griffin's neck with the bokken, making it cry out in pain as it began to drop. Dropping her weapon, she turned into her tiger form, pouncing on its back as they hit the water. Chasing after it, Timi bit into its tail, determined not to let go. As the Griffin shook its tail, soon realising that Timi wouldn't let go, it bit into Timi's tail, making the golden tigress growl in annoyance. They ran in circles, neither of them deciding to let go as Luffy and Chopper looked on, both laughing so hard that Luffy held his stomach as Chopper rolled around on the ground.

Letting go of the Gryphon's tail, Timi turned on it, slashing at its face with her dangerously sharp claws, blinding it. She toyed with it, behaving like a cat who has caught a bird as she bit into its legs and crushed its wings, leaving it defenceless before she went for the kill. Her long canines bit into its feathery hide as it's blood soaked into the sandy ground of the lake. As she tried her best to retain control, Luffy on standby in case he was needed, her whole body went into a spasm of numerous twitched. She growled and snarled as if there was an invisible enemy. Shaking her head continuously, like there was a fly she could not shake, she reverted back to her human form.

Or so she thought. Gaining her painfully thin hair again, the stripes vanishing to her pale skin, she felt different. Looking into the lakes clear surface, she was surprised when she found the stripy orange and black furry ears sticking out of her head and turning around, she found a long orange and black tail poking out of her. Though not normal, she smiled as she fiddled with her fluffy ears.

An hour later, a blazing fire was roaring as they roasted the meat of the Gryphon. Luffy munched away as the sun began to set, tropical oranges and golden yellows staining the sky. After filling his stomach, he fell asleep along with Chopper and Rebecca, leaving Timi awake alone as she looked up at the sky, the stars making her feel a little more comfortable as she remembered a friend who looked at the stars from her world.

Passing the time by training alone, it was almost an hour before she heard a rustling of leaves on the bank of the oasis. Looking up from her training, Robin walked out of the bushes. Followed by Franky, they quietly set up camp next to them, being careful not to wake the sleepers as she questioned Timi about what happened after she had taken off and they had lost track of them.

"How did you even get here? It took us forever just to find this place." Franky asked, sitting down on a broken tree stump that Chopper had accidentally made after he ran into it earlier to shake down the loose firewood in the branches, along with some fruit.

"Actually, genius here launched us both and we ended up landing on Chopper. Then we found a Griffin. I hit it, toyed with it and ate it."

Noting how her tail and ears had stayed, Timi once again played with them a little. Robin and Franky stayed up with Timi, also telling her of a village they had found on the island. Though it looked new, it was completely abandoned, including the animals and that all the belongings one might find in a house were strewn around the village as if it had been ransacked. Letting sleep take them in the early hours of the morning, they awoke later and the 5 of them left and went deeper into unknown territory. Coming across a volcano, they found hot springs near the base of the mountain and a pervy cook enjoying the soak.

"Oh! Timi-chan! Robin-schwan!"

"Sanji! Where the hell have you been?!" Timi shouted at the naked cook, his lower half covered by the water's surface and the surrounding rocks of the pool.

Going beet red, he had a nosebleed as he looked at Robin's breasts, oblivious to Timi's question. Going up to him and slapping him repeatedly, Timi ordered in a low but impatient voice "Get dressed before I make you regret being born."

As Sanji got out of the pool and got dressed in a frenzy, he leant against the volcano behind him as he put on his shoes. As if in response, a hidden doorway in the volcano opened up behind him, making him fall down some stairs, the corridor crafted from the surrounding stone. After a few minutes of deciding whether they should go in or not, Luffy rushed in and they all followed him inside. Coming out of the end of the corridor, they found themselves in the volcano's core, taking a moment to look out onto what was now a solidified lava lake. There were people down there, the majority of them in chains as they were forced to move giant boulders and large loads of rock as they mined deeper into the stone. The sounds of whips echoed in the hot chamber as cries of anguish could be heard everywhere.

"Hey guys, I think we found those missing villagers." Timi said, before she was spotted by one of the bulky men holding a whip. He unsheathed the sword at his side, swiping at her head as she ducked in time to miss it. Using her devil fruit power, Robin broke the man's neck and made sure he was knocked out. Unfortunately drawing attention to them, they ran down the staircase as the entrance had shut behind them. As the met a split in the corridor, they separated. As Timi, Chopper and Sanji ran one way, Luffy, Franky and Robin ran the other. Soon finding themselves at a dead end, they turned around to face their enemy.

Sanji served a full kick course as Timi shifted into her tiger form, finally able to change at will, pouncing on the cocky guards who mocked her, slashing them up a bit with her claws. Chopper followed up with his heavy point, knocking out the remainder who were left standing by the pair's brutal assault, apologising for hurting them as they all lay unconscious on the floor. As Timi reverted to her human form again, they followed the corridor back, taking a turning that they had neglected earlier and found the prison cells, which were fortified with seastone. They saw several starving children too weak to work and mothers holding their relatively newborns in the faint hope that they would survive. The other cells held the injured, who laid untreated, some barely breathing, as the smell of infected wounds hung putrid in the air.

"Please! Please let us out!" Several of them cried.

"Sanji, several of them need medical treatment. We have to get these people out." Chopper said with worry.

"Leave that to me!" Timi shouted as she ran off in search of the keys.

"Wait! Timi-chan!" Sanji called after her.

"I'll be fine on my own and I told you to stop calling me that! Just use my fucking name, Sanji!" She called back, not stopping.

As she found a mine track, she found a wide rimmed stone door frame. Hiding next to the doorway that led to the main area of the volcano they had seen earlier, she heard voices talking. Using her animal hearing, she heard the jingles of keys and looking out, she saw two guards. One had a ring of shiny nickel keys, the other possessing copper ones.

"I don't know which of them will open the cells. This could prove difficult without getting my hands a little dirty." She said to herself.

"The nickel ones." Came a quiet voice from behind her. Turning around quickly, her wooden bokken at the ready, she was surprised to find a tall teenage boy dropping a large load of coal and basalt into a mine cart, his clothes and face black with soot.

"Why are you helping me?" Timi asked, not swayed by his sudden volunteering of information.

"My mother and sister are in the cells. Since you managed to find your way in here and beat up those guards at the entrance, I believed that you may be strong enough to free them." He replied as he pulled a lever, sending the mine cart hurtling off down the tracks as he loaded another load onto the next empty cart.

"Look kid, we have no obligation to help you...but what we do have is a doctor who can't stand by and see people in poor health and a captain who knows that all this is wrong." She replied, gesturing to the workers in the main area of the volcano as she continued "We can get you all out but first we need to find our way back out again."

"Then you will need both sets of keys. I have changed workstations many times here and the keys they use make different sounds. I've been able to use these sounds to tell which of the keys they used. It's only a matter of time before they throw me in the cells too though." The young boy replied. Being careful not to be seen by the guards outside the door, she looked closer at the boys eyes. They were a cloudy white but showed signs that they had originally been a dark brown.

_He's going blind?_

"Are the cells I saw downstairs the only ones?" She asked the lad. Before he could answer, the two guards who held the keys to the cells and the entrance had seen her. Bringing up her bokken to a guarding position, she disarmed them both and then transformed into her tiger form again, forcing them to give her the keys as she scratched at them with her paws and pinned them down to look into the unrivalled fury of her cats eyes.

Taking the keys as she changed back into her human form, she picked up her bokken and ran back in the direction that she thought she had come from, only to find more twists and turns.

_Surely there weren't this many twists and turns on the way here?_

As she slowly got more and more lost, she found herself moving further and further down into the volcano, the temperature getting gradually hotter. She found herself at a large cell where a woman was chained above the ground by her arms, her head hanging in front of her away from the wall as her hair hung down to cover the sides of her face. The floor of the cell was covered in a crisp layer of dried blood and her body did not move.

"Hello?" Timi asked, not expecting an answer from the seemingly lifeless form. Slowly bringing up her head, the woman's eyes met her own and she could not help but gasp at whose eyes she had seen.


	45. Who is Dec? Hide n Seek on the Sunny

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"Hello?" Timi asked, not expecting an answer from the seemingly lifeless form. Slowly bringing up her head, the woman's eyes met her own and she could not help but gasp at whose eyes she had seen.

...

The woman's eyes were ones that she had known from her world. Eyes with such beauty and yet so much pain. Blue as the sea and yet not a tear had she ever seen dropping from them.

"Timi?" She asked back before falling unconscious.

"Rachael? Hey! Are you OK?" She shouted but received no reply.

_Damn._

"Over here!" She heard a guard shout, accompanied with many running footsteps of the guards coming up behind her. Taking out the nickel keys, she opened the cell and freed Rachael from the cuffs binding her to the wall. Getting her onto her back and tying her hands loosely so she didn't fall off, she shifted to her Tiger form.

_I will get you out._

Picking up the keys with her teeth, she took a run up, leaping over the crowd of guards and found Sanji using his scent. Throwing him the keys, she didn't stop as she ran ahead to find Robin and Franky. A huge explosion went off before she saw Franky running towards her.

"I killed the control room. The vents letting the heat out of this place are malfunctioning. If we don't get out soon, we'll all be barbequed!" He shouted as he ran past her with his ass burning. Turning around to follow him, Timi headed to the main chamber where she found Robin surrounded.

"Robin!" She shouted but only a roar came out, getting the attention of the guards. Turning to Franky, she rubbed her body against his legs, making it obvious she wanted him to take Rachael off her back, her eyes keen for blood. After taking Rachael from her, Timi leapt in to help Robin.

Meanwhile, with Luffy and Chopper, they were backed into a corner with several men with spiked armour and muscular builds, each one wielding a gnarly looking axe.

"You guys shouldn't have come here. We have business with the villagers on this island; now that you've seen what we do here, we have no choice but to kill you." One of the guards yelled as he lobbed his axe, missing Luffy by mere inches as Chopper cried in fright.

"We don't have time for you guys, we have to find Robin!" He yelled back, using his Gum Gum Gatling Gun to clear them and jumped on their unconscious bodies as he ran off in search of Robin whom he had lost when he had smelt food earlier. Curious, he couldn't stop himself. As Chopper was about to follow, one of the guards grabbed his leg, stopping him. Crying in fright, he shifted to heavy point, ready to punch the man out cold.

"Wait..." The man said, blood coming from his mouth as he struggled to breathe. Chopper heard him out.

"We need...your help." He gasped between breaths of pain.

"Why should I help someone who treats a human life like filth? What you are doing here is wrong." Chopper replied, a look of anger on his face.

"We had...no choice. The Cheetah's crew forced us...into slavery. A legend of this island...speaks of...a giant jewel...buried deep underground. They took us hostage...and any who couldn't work...or were too weak...were locked up." The man replied, his voice stopping every so often as he chocked a little on his own blood.

"Eh?! Then that would make these men..." Chopper started before he was finished.

"Dec's...yes. But there was...a girl."

"A girl?" Chopper asked, now treating the man's wounds as he continued.

"Yes. She opposed the pirates and almost succeeded... in driving them off..." He continued, now getting better to speak as Choppers medicine began to work.

"What happened?" Chopper asked, wanting to know more as it might help them later.

"She was shot...many times." The man said sombrely as he began crying "There was nothing we could do as they separated the capable and useless amongst the villagers and the men, young and old were forced to work, even my poor son...Lucas."

"Where is your son now?" The doctor asked as he helped the man to stand, his balance still off from Luffy's assault.

"Working the carts. If there's to be a riot, he won't be able to get out alone. I have to help hi..." He stopped before falling to his hands and knees in pain.

"I'll help you find him but I have to stay with Luffy for now. If I lose him, it will become difficult to find him in here again, even with my nose." Chopper replied carrying the injured man as he ran after Luffy.

Meanwhile, Luffy heard the angry growls as Timi shred the pirates with her sharp claws, backing Robin as she tried her best to do the same. They were both sweating badly as their reflexes slowed. Luffy came running in, helping to get rid of the rest of the pirates surrounding them. Grabbing Robin's hand, he pulled her out into the corridor with Timi running out ahead of them. As they ran to the exit, they saw Franky holding the door.

"Where's Chopper and Sanji?!" Luffy yelled as he ran past Franky.

"They're still inside!" He shouted back as Timi looked over his shoulder at Rachael worriedly.

"What?!" Luffy turned to run back in but Timi shifted back into her human form to restrain him.

"Stop Luffy! I could smell them on the way out, they weren't far behind us." She said.

"They'd better hurry. The volcano is ready to blow." Robin said, calm as a cucumber as always as she looked up at the smoking peak of the mountain.

As if by reaction, Chopper and Sanji came running out with crowd of people behind them. They let them run out first, making sure everyone was safe before they made it out. Shouts could be heard as they looked back to see Dec's crew following them. They pointed their guns at them and fired but Luffy jumped in, taking them all as they bounced off of him and ricocheted into several of the guards, the others holding their fire as they realised it was useless to shoot a rubber man. Sanji and Chopper ran out as the doctor carried the man he had talked with earlier. Running away from the volcano, lava could be seem spewing from its peak as a pyroclastic flow headed their way. Suddenly, Zoro appeared out of nowhere, cutting a moat around the volcano and two routes for the lava to follow, making another attack to stop the pyro flow. Unbearably hot air surrounded them as viscous lava flowed into the canals Zoro had created. Rain clouds appeared overhead as a few droplets began to pour.

"We heard the rumbling from the ship, are you guys alright?" Nami shouted, barely heard over all the rumbling from the angry mountain. As the rain came down, it began to cool some of the fiery rivers as they ran down the rocks of the volcano, leaving small billows of steam as they fell.

"Yohohoho! I hope everyone's alright, we had a hard time just getting here." Brook said as he pirouetted onto the scene.

"Brook!" Shouted Rebecca as she flew out of the volcano, everyone seeming to have forgotten about her since she had gone off on her own earlier.

"Where the hell have you bin?!" Timi yelled at her as the skele-woman hovered above them.

"Been making sure I didn't get my ass roasted, you dicks left me in there alone." She said, pointing at them as she said it with a judgmental voice.

"R...Re...bec...ca?" Rachael said from Franky's back before she lost her consciousness again.

"You'd better hold on. Bitch, don't you die on us." Timi shouted back.

"Franky, give her to me, she needs treatment right away!" Chopper shouted as he ran over and took Rachael from him.

"Chopper, we can't stay here, treat her at the ship!" Zoro shouted as they began to retreat, leading the villagers into the jungle as they helped their wounded.

"Right!" He yelled back. Chopper held her fragile and injured body in his large, heavy point hands. Brook Sanji and Robin guided the villagers to the other side of the island where a series of caves were situated, giving them shelter as the rain poured down all over. Sanji provided food for them using the local vegetation as Brook told bad jokes, with Robin comforting the children as she told them a story. Zoro stood guard at the entrance, still wary of the volcano as it's amber peak shone on through the rain.

Luffy, Rebecca, Timi, Chopper, Franky, Nami and Usopp all made their way back to the ship where Chopper got to work treating Rachael, hooking her up to a blood bag as he treated her wounds and monitored her vitals. Rebecca and Timi waited for Chopper to finish, worried for Rachael as they sat outside the doctor's door. It was a good few hours before Chopper came out of his medical room to see the both of them sleeping against the wall. Knowing what Timi was like when she was woken up, he roused Rebecca and told her of the damages to Rachael's body.

"There was a great amount of internal bleeding and bruising in her upper and lower abdomen, a few broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung, lacerations to her back that may have been caused by a nasty whip as well as a broken right hand. I also found a large gash across her chest, possibly caused by a sword or short blade. I also found a few bullets in her right side, they didn't hit anything vital though. To be honest with you, any normal person would have been dead by this point, it's a miracle that she's even alive." He explained.

Rebecca put on her illusionary self, her shimmer frowning in worry. "I'm just glad she's alive. Thanks Chopper." She said sadly, giving him a relieved smile as she picked up Timi and took her to bed.

"Is she ok, Chopper?" She heard Luffy asking from above deck, an echo spell relaying their every word to her mind.

"She'll live but she'll need some time to recover. With her body in that state, it's a wonder she's alive." He replied calmly.

"I wonder who she is, Timi and Rebecca seemed really worried about her." Luffy replied.

"Maybe she's someone from their world too? It's still weird knowing there's another world other than this one." Usopp replied, a feeling of confusion and disbelief being relayed through the spell.

"We should go ask her." Luffy suggested as she heard him begin to run after her.

"Luffy, those two have enough to worry about. Ask them later when they have the energy to answer your constant questions." She heard Nami shout, making her grin a little in silent thanks as Franky walked past her, confused by her sudden change in expression.

...(Several Days Later)...

As Rachael awoke, she felt the rocking of the ship below her body. In nothing but her underwear and bra, she held the sheets over her body as she attempted to hide her exposed skin. Looking around the room for clothes, she saw a white shirt and a pair of three quarter length jeans. Opening them out and putting them on, the short sleeved top was baggy but the shoulders filled out and the jeans fit her wide hips. A pair of high top converse-like trainers sat close to the bed, seemingly unused. Not feeling like she wanted to wear shoes, she walked out of the door barefooted, sneaking past Chopper as she heard Sanji chopping away in the kitchen. Entering, a vast amount of aromas met her nose, sneaking a peek at the chef as he combined the ingredients with fluidity and ease. Smiling, she left as silently as she came in, nabbing a piece of raw carrot before Sanji could notice on her way out.

Hearing the clinking of weights, she climbed almost all the way up the ladder to Zoro's workout room so she wouldn't be spotted, watching as his sweat dripped with each rep. She couldn't help but watch in silent awe. Suddenly, Chopper screamed and everyone came running.

"Oops, busted." She said to herself, now realising Zoro had spotted her. Releasing the ladder, she ran off down to the main deck at speed, her bare feet giving her the freedom to run much faster than Zoro. She opened the door to the deck as quietly as she could as she heard running footsteps.

"They all must be looking for me. I wonder how long I can play hide and seek. Hehe." She hid herself in the cargo compartment near the core of the ship, hearing several people come in and rummage through the various barrels and crates. She hopped from room to room until she found herself right under the main deck.

"We've searched for hours. How hard can it be to find one girl?" Franky asked as he panted.

"If I know Rachael, games are her specialty. She could hide for days and you'd never find her." Rebecca replied as she chilled on the grass

"Then why don't you help us since you know her so well?!" Nami shouted at her.

"I'll take that as a compliment. You know me too well, Rebecca." She said, confusing everyone as she hurried off to find another hiding spot.

"Was that her?" Luffy asked, surprised at the sudden unknown voice as he looked around trying to find it.

"Yup. Better go find her...or she'll find you first." Timi replied, making a creepy face.

"She's below the main deck, there's only two exits out of there. Let's go." Usopp said as Luffy and Zoro tailed him. As Rachael waited below deck, she thought to herself.

_No more running now, my injuries haven't healed fully and I need to let myself recover. Guess I'll just wait here._

As Luffy and Zoro covered the exits, Usopp searched the lower deck. Hearing a rustling, he looked around and having a closer look, he thought he saw something in the dark.

"Took you guys long enough. I was beginning to think you'd never find me." Came her almost boyish voice as she stepped into the faint light that came through the boards. They all frowned at her like she was weird.

"What? You guys never played hide and seek before?"


	46. Party then Departure? Sabaody calls!

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"What? You guys never played hide and seek before?"

Laughing a little with a gentle but deep voice for a woman, she leant against one on of the ship's vertical beams.

"Y-you did have us worried. Chopper is going nuts." Usopp replied, his legs shaking a little as she was slightly taller than him.

"Other than being a bit banged up, I'm fine. A little rest and I'm good. And since when a little fun hurt anyone?" She said, a playful smirk still crossing her face as she walked past him.

Luffy had run off to the main deck to complain to Sanji that he was hungry and she took off at speed up to the main deck to get some proper fresh air.

"About time you revealed yourself. I was beginning to think you'd never show. Took us 2 whole days to find you when you did this last time. And that was just in a small park." Timi replied with her arms crossed, her eyes in slight scowl.

"Oh c'mon...don't look like that Timi. We had great fun that summer and you know it. Even if we all ended up a little sunburnt." She said lifting for Timi to bump. Giving it a moment, Timi couldn't deny a fist bump as she returned it with a strong one of her own.

"Next time, don't be such a butt." Rebecca replied, still chilling on the grass with her eyes closed as Timi made her way into the ship.

"How is hiding being a butt?" Rachael replied, going up to Rebecca and poking her head repeatedly.

"Grrr...Staaaaaaaaap!" Rebecca growled at her.

"Why are you a skeleton anyway?" Rachael asked as she stopped poking, smiling with a big grin as she giggled a little.

"Well let's just say that a certain somebody got here 50 years before other people...and kinda died." Was all she replied, not really giving much of an answer, a confused look crossing Rachael's face.

"Oh! Perhaps I can clear that one up for you! Yohohoho!" Brook laughed as he stood straight, sipping his tea "she was part of my crew for a short time, though she had the misfortune of being there when we were killed by another crew's poisonous weapons."

Rachael thought to herself. _Oh yeah. I remember the Rumbar Pirates' last song from watching it in my world. Man that was a sad day._

"I lost the entire crew, but I still have Rebecca...and Laboon is waiting for me at the Twin Capes. I do wish to see him and Crocus again." Brook continued.

Timi came walking out of the ship with a blood-red electric guitar in her hands. "I don't know about you guys, but I think it's time to partay!" Timi said, riffing off a few notes as she smiled at the sound that to her was heavenly. Brook ran off to find drums, shedding happy tears at the realisation that someone else on the crew could play electric guitar besides himself.

"Hell yeah!" Rachael shouted, fist pumping the air as she tugged Luffy along with and Chopper along with him. She pulled in Sanji and Nami, as well as a reluctant Zoro as Robin watched, clapping her hands to the rhythm as Timi and Brook rocked the evening away. She started playing one of her old favourites - Unbound by Avenged Sevenfold.

Somewhere life is good, and things go as they should  
it's hard to find, but that's alright yeah  
Searching for the way, push harder everyday  
It's deep inside, that shining light yeah  
But I'm scarred, by barriers placed in my path  
I'm scathed

This ride that takes me through life  
Leads me into darkness but emerges into light  
No one can ever slow me down  
I'll stay unbound

Sometimes when we're young, and always on the run  
It gets so dark and I know that place yeah  
So don't be too concerned, you've got a lot to learn  
Well so do I and we've got plenty of time yeah  
Don't fall off the track yet with so many races to go  
Hold on

This ride that takes me through life  
Leads me into darkness but emerges into light  
No one can ever slow me down  
I'll stay unbound

Some live so wrong, with what we do is each his own  
But living in fear, endless shame for countless years  
I never lived in fear I knew I'd die another day  
I never viewed my life as something... slipping away.

Everyone smiled as Timi rocked the night away, mixing it up with Avicii, Fiver Finger Death Punch and Alter Bridge as Rachael sang along to the ones she knew. The straw hats slept deeply that night after Timi, Rachael and Rebecca helped the ones who had drank themselves into a stupor to their beds and hammocks. Their spirits remained high as they smiled in their sleep. Timi, Rebecca and Rachael all remained awake as the night passed them by, talking by the moonlight.

"They seem nice. Just as I imagined they would be." Rebecca started, looking in the direction of the sleeping quarters.

"Slightly different to how I remember them. It is a shame though." Rachael replied, her eyes holding a slightly sad expression.

"Why?" Timi asked, confused.

"I am part of a pirate crew too ya know. The Straw Hats found that out and didn't really care about it but meeting back up with him on Sabaody sooner rather than later would give us more chance to explore the island. The Pacifista's will arrive along with Kizaru shortly after Sentomaru calls for backup after the auction house becomes chaotic mess. I have to have met back up with them before then." Rachael explained her situation, hinting at the other two to join her.

"Well, I guess we could come along with you. I know Luffy wouldn't be pleased if I suddenly left though." Timi replied, looking at the floor as she rolled her index finger.

"We should leave it a couple more days at least. You should at least get to know them a little better." Rebecca replied, standing up to stretch her achy bones after sitting still for so long.

"Ok. The night after tomorrow night, you can leave a note or something for Luffy so he knows where you're going." Rachael replied, surprising them both "I'll leave them a little something."

"I've felt it for a while now, you ate a devil fruit didn't you?" Rebecca asked, nudging Rachael with her bony elbows in a hinting fashion.

"Yeah. Those bastards back on the island put me through some fucked up shit. Feeding me a devil fruit was just the start." Rachael replied, folding her arms as she closed her eyes in recollection of her treatment.

"I'll say, you're back was near enough ripped open." Rebecca noted.

"Well when you're subject to a cat o' nine, hot pokers and starving so bad that a devil fruit tastes good to you, life seems peachy when it stops. The bullet and blade wounds became pretty numb after day 3. I had lost so much blood by then that the wounds just felt numb." She went on to explain.

"So what's the power?" Timi asked excitedly, wondering in awe of what her ability could be.

" It's time will come. Don't worry about it. Besides, I need to train with it before I go to the Battle of the Best."

"Wait, you're not thinking of..." Rebecca started before being cut off.

"I am. Don't think you're stopping me. In this world, I have as much right to go there as the Whitebeard Pirates do to back up Luffy and Ace." Rachael said, a defiant and unwavering look filling her eyes to the brim, her will untameable.

"Don't think I'm not going too, this is our time to shine." Timi replied, standing up in inspired excitement.

"If we save Ace, it will contradict what already happened here. Luffy will never get stronger and the fate of him and his crew will be put in jeopardy. That's time travel lesson 101, you know that. Never meddle with time." Rebecca warned. She was against the whole idea of changing the future of this world and though she didn't want to admit it out loud, Ace had to die in order for this world to progress.

"Never mind that right now. We'll cross that bridge when the time comes. You can leave Luffy a note or something. He'll be a little upset at you leaving but you can regroup with him before the Pacifistas arrive." Rachael replied.

As Timi nodded, they all heard Luffy snoring loudly, the loudest over all the others.

Over the course of the next few days, they all stored their belongings in Rebecca's pocket dimension, each packing only what they needed. Rachael learned more about the Straw Hats and what each of them was into, what their hobbies were and even got an insight into why they joined the crew. Though she knew their reasons for joining, she had been curious as to why they had accepted even though they knew the captain was a downright simpleton.

Some didn't really have a choice at the time, like Zoro when Luffy had saved him from being executed at a Marine base. Some had to be forced to join, like Sanji and Franky, since they were both so stubborn to admit they wanted to go but thought that staying and making up for the past was their responsibility. Some had Luffy to help them overcome difficult circumstances, as Nami was held against her will by Arlong, Brook had his shadow stolen by Gecko Moria and Usopp, who had to defend a village who labelled him a liar but did it anyway out of compassion against a group of rival pirates. And Robin, well, Enies Lobby spoke for itself.

_It's inspirational listening to their stories face to face. It's like I was actually there. If only in my world we had this much excitement. No one stands up against large government powers and standing up for your friends is something of a rarity. If only more people like the Straw Hat pirates existed in our world. It would make the world seem so much brighter..._

Soon she tuned the sound of the rowdy crew out as Brook played Binks Sake on the violin, lulling her into the realm of sleep as the wind ruffled her hair over her eyes.

Rebecca fashioned another necklace, this time from a deep sapphire blue gem, which was unpolished and seemingly unnoticed in the pile of gems they had on board. Giving it to Rachael, she had instructed both her and Timi on how to use them should they feel the need to escape to one of the other's location. Teaching them the words for the incantation, Timi began to structure a note that didn't sound too much like she had took off without thinking.

Rachael told Rebecca to keep everyone out of the kitchen so she could make some stuff, asking Sanji beforehand to keep it a secret. The smells that came from the kitchen were heavenly and it took all of Rebecca's will to stop herself from entering the kitchen and eating the delicious and sweet smelling food inside.

Timi spent their remaining time almost completely devoted to her sword practise, moving into more sweeping attacks and touching on the basics of flying attacks, her first time doing so on instinct. Since she had been cursed, she'd found her reflexes in her human form had become quicker and that her ability to sense attacks had become almost superhuman. Her balance had improved greatly, her tail helping to stay steady as Zoro had her balance weights on her head as she balanced on one leg. Her hearing could reach long distances as she warned of incoming cannonballs from Navy ships.

On the dawn of the morning they were to depart, they checked they had everything they needed. With Rachael making sure her food was secured away from prying eyes in the kitchen, they took off holding onto Rebecca's hands. At top speed, It took them the good part of the day to reach Sabaody, flying straight past Duval's hideout and making their way onto the main island, making sure they landed on a deserted grove with an open space where they could train.

(Meanwhile, back on the Sunny)

"What?! She's gone?!" Luffy yelled as Nami read her letter aloud.

" 'I'm sorry I had to leave so suddenly without telling you first, but you'll see me again in about a week. I'll be on the Sabaody Archipelago. Seeya there. T.' "

"Taking off like that, that girl has no self control. I'm supposed to be her teacher but she spends more time gallivanting than she does training." Zoro complained.

"Let her have her fun, it's not like she's gone that far ahead of us." Franky said.

"But..." Luffy began.

"She's proven she can take care of herself in the past. I believe she'll be fine. Besides, she has Rachael and Rebecca with her." Robin interjected, defending a fellow female crew member.

"And we'll see her again at Sabaody! I can't wait to see my dear Timi again!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes as he walked up to the kitchen. Opening the locked fridge, he couldn't believe his eyes. Chocolate brownies, a lemon sponge cake, jammy thumb prints and what looked like sundaes in the freezer all wafted into the chef's nose. Looking on top of the fridge, he found more treats. Cakey pops sat on a covered tray, cocktail sticks resting on the side, one for each of the crew. A piece of paper lay wedged between two pieces of cake. Taking it out, Sanji read the neat writing.

" 'Hey Sanji. Left a few things for you guys. Surprise them with it or something. Laters. R.  
P.S. Don't let Luffy eat it all. It took me ages to make this stuff. :) ' "

"Sanji! Food!" Luffy called from outside.

"Well, if you guys want to eat something, Rachael left us a few things. The smell is incredible in here. I'm in heaven." His body seemed to almost lose its entire structure as it waved in throes of ecstatic love, little hearts floating around him as his cigarette smoke blew little hearts of their own.

"You know she'd kill you if she saw you doing that, curly cook..." Zoro said, insulting the blonde chef.

"Watch it, moss head..."


	47. Rachael's hit n run! Casino Chaos!

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"Watch it, moss head..."

...

(Back on Saboady)

Since Rebecca had the most experience with her devil fruit, which was a Paramecia type, she gave a quick explanation of how she had managed to learn the basics of her own fruit to Rachael. It was when Rachael showed them what she was capable of that they knew what her powers were. The ability to heal rapidly was a passive ability that they had discovered when Rebecca had decided to whack her over the head with her staff and when Timi had scratched her in her tiger form...at the same time.

With Rebecca's instruction of finding out how to do various things, she had managed to learn the basic ability of healing minor wounds as Rebecca and Timi fought each other and needed a medic afterwards. Timi had ended up with her body covered in bruises and Rebecca had a few cracks in her bones. She had developed her devil fruit's ability to heal to the point where she could heal people within a small set area around her without physical contact. It was similar but not the same to Law's Room technique, only she couldn't manipulate the people inside like patients on an operation table like he did.

"Interesting ability you have. Although...we've only been attacking to inflict wounds up until now. If an enemy decides you look better with one less appendage, it could be that it won't grow back. The point of damage where you lose it may heal but I wouldn't risk putting yourself in that situation. It could be potentially dangerous since you have no control of the regenerative healing abilities you apply to yourself." Rebecca thought, holding her staff as with her other hand under her chin as she thought out loud.

"And since when did I ever listen when someone said that something was dangerous?" Rachael replied, shrugging innocently.

"When were you ever the type to listen is probably a better question." Timi replied sarcastically, as Rebecca oooooo'd behind her. Rachael sighed and pulled a half smile across her face.

_I've been used to this pairs antics and japes since before we had been transported here. Withstanding the test of time and the change of scenery, I guess our ties of friendship haven't wavered over the time we've spent apart. Even if one of us has died, it hasn't hidden the fact that her personality hasn't changed even though she is technically an old woman underneath those strong and durable bones._

"Earth to Rachael?" Rebecca said, waving a hand in front of her eyes. She'd spaced out and hadn't even realised they had been talking to her.

"Wah?" Was her only response as she came back to reality.

"Ugh, just like you to go all starry eyed and space out." Rebecca commented as she began to walk away.

"Hey, where you goin'?" Timi asked, as she turned to follow her.

"Well, you can't fight with a bokken the whole time you're here in this world now can you? You'd be a fool to even try to make it to the New World with it." She replied, tapping a finger to her temple as if to say _use your brain, dufus._

As they began to set out, Rachael piped up "I hate to be the downer on your ideas, but aren't we short on both money and food?"

"I only have three hundred berries on me." Tim replied.

"In that case, I suggest we all take a hundred and split up to find ways to multiply our money supply." Rebecca said, looking at the other two as she donned her illusion.

"I'd be up for that. I have a crazy idea to get that money anyways." Rachael replied as she took the small wad of cash from Timi.

"Meet back here in four hours?" Timi asked, chucking baby transponder snails at Rachael and Rebecca.

"Seeya then, peeps." Rachael replied as they all went their separate ways, Timi and Rebecca heading off together as Rachael went off on her own. After a while of walking, she found what looked like a wager grove, numerous gambling shops and bingo parlours lining the street. Seeing a casino, she decided to take her own gamble and try it. Knowing she sucked at poker, she made her way to the blackjack table. As the dealer dealt her in, she took every round patiently. Every round, she called the right cards, winning or drawing every time. Soon she felt bored and was about to cash in her huge pile of chips when a large looking red headed man sat down on the other side of the table. The two broke people between them took off at the sight of him.

_Eustass 'Captain' Kidd...didn't expect to see him here. Whatever..._

"Finally, some fresh competition. Deal him in." she told the dealer, doing as he was told as his hands shook in fear.

Knocking on the table before she looked at her cards, she denied taking a second, making it Kidd's turn. Doing the opposite to her, he picked up his cards to look. Looking up again, he saw her looking at him expectantly.

"Waiting on you, bucko." She said, teasing him.

Calling for two cards, he grimaced as he slammed his cards on the table with a bust. Flipping her own cards over, the dealer called blackjack as a Jack, Queen and Ace sat upon the table.

"Bitch, don't screw with me." Kidd said in a low but grumpy voice. Killer came to his side to watch, curious as to what stupid person had challenged Kidd's patience this time. He gasped in surprise when he saw that it was a woman.

"You just screwed yourself." She replied, flipping her next pair over to reveal a King and Ace of Spades. An automatic blackjack.

"You're beginning to piss me off." He scowled at Rachael.

"Someone's a sore loser." The next round she won with a 5 card trick, with Kidd bust yet again. "Do you even know how to play this game?"

_He's ready to explode._

Kidd remained silent as a popping vein appeared in his forehead, snatching his next pair from the dealer. Smirking, he laid the cards down, denying another card. Doing the same, Rachael turned her cards, with Kidd doing the same.

A double blackjack.

They both smirked with a wide grin as they looked into each other's eyes, his amber eyes looking into her deep ocean blue ones. She broke the contact between them.

"Well, boredom's a bitch so I'm cashing in these chips and getting food. Seeya redhead." She said, taking the chips to the counter and receiving a suitcase of money in exchange. As she tried to leave, Killer and Kidd stood in her way.

"So it's like that, huh? Guess I gotta do this the hard way." She said sighing. Killer gasped in surprise as a look of bloodlust filled her eyes, a strong defiance driving it. He began to think to himself as he got out his blades.

_It's like looking into Kidd's eyes. This should be fun._

She ran head on at the pair, chucking the suitcase over their heads before she slid slyly under Killers legs as they had been distracted by the case. Gaining her footing again, she caught the case and swiftly made her exit. Kidd ran after Rachael as she sprinted off barefoot since the converse that were beside her bed on the Sunny were Timi's and didn't fit her feet right. Killer ran close behind them.

"Stop lazing around you lazy bastards! Catch that girl!" He barked. Looking ahead of her, she saw several of Kidd's crew coming at her with swords. As she stopped running, she closed her eyes and took deep breaths, waiting until she was fully surrounded. She heard several men take cautious steps towards her.

"She's a woman. She can't be all that strong. Fuck sake, catch her already!" Kidd yelled his orders. The crew made their move, diving to catch her. Her eyes shot open. Jumping high, she ran across their heads like they were nothing but stepping stones in a shallow river.

"Never underestimate the opposite sex, asshole!" She shouted over her shoulder at Kidd, making him more angry.

(Meanwhile, with Rebecca and Timi...)

As they heard the commotion, they looked at each other.

"Don't tell me..." Timi began before she was finished by Rebecca, the pair face palming in frustration as Rachael came into view.

"Yup. It's her alright." Rebecca said, her voice one of expected disappointment. Seeing them both, Rachael ran in their direction.

"Don't bring 'em here you idiot!" Timi screamed angrily at Rachael as she ran from the Kidd pirates.

"Rebecca, hide this!" She shouted as she threw the case to them, ignoring Timi's earlier complaint. By its weight, she could guess what was inside but stored it quickly in her pocket dimension before Rachael stopped in front of them both, panting heavily.

"I thought you wanted to lie low! The fuck did you do?!" Timi shouted, waiting for Rachael to catch her breath.

"Pissed of a pirate much..(huff)...(huff)...and you'll never believe which one it is." She replied between breaths as she grinned. Looking up, Timi's face lit up with stars in her eyes as she saw Kidd running towards them.

"The fuck is wrong with you, Timi?! That crazy bastard just tried to kill me!" Rachael shouted at the fantasising sadist.

"Grow a pair." The pair replied in sync, looking at each other as they laughed at Rachael's expense.

"Thanks guys. Way to comfort a friend." Rachael replied sarcastically, her face deadpanning.

"Well you did piss him off. What did you even do to get the redhead mad?" The lich asked her, curious of how she had attracted Kid's attention.

"Man, all I did was play a little blackjack. Bitch wanted my money so I took off with the winnings. I am hungry and we need the money right now so I used my 100 to get more. It's not my fault that he was there." She argued back, keeping an eye on Kidd and his men as they drew close now.

"So you were cocky enough to challenge a rookie of the 11 supernovas and then think that he'd let you go?" Timi asked, an eyebrow raised as if expecting a viable answer.

"Let me go? Hmm...no. That's not quite right." She replied, a wide and creepy smirk spreading across her face. She reached under her baggy top and pulled out two parrying daggers, tossing them to Timi who caught them haphazardly.

"The fuck? When d'you even get these? And won't you need them?" She asked, a little confused at Rachael's discard of weaponry.

"I got them as a gift from Nami. Besides, I thought you knew One Piece inside and out, Timi. Eustass 'Captain' Kidd has a devil fruit ability remember?" She replied, getting into a pre-running stance. In a flash, she zoomed straight past Kidd's crew and landed a punch in the redhead captain's jaw. Killer could do little as she disabled him with a kick to the balls and returned to Rebecca and Timi's side. The crew came to their captain and first mate's side to help them. In the ruckus and the arguing, they didn't notice the three of them had run off.

"I think we've lost them. Phew. Now that's over with, let's find you a sword." Rebecca said as Timi's eyes lit up again.

"Hehe. Somebody's excited." Rachael replied, not directing her comment to anyone particularly. Searching at least a good third of the island, they found a weapons shop, with Timi running off to find the swords. There were several barrels of good swords but Timi looked them over, drew a few but didn't feel like any of them fit well with her.

_It's like none of them want to work with or for me. None of them feel right. There has to be one here somewhere that even the most brave sword masters don't dare to touch._

"Hey, Ossan!" Timi shouted to the shop's owner.

"Who are you calling Ossan?! Ya damned whippersnapper! Back in my day, we treated our elders with respect! Learn some manners girl!" He shouted back.

"Yeah, yeah. That's great and all, but are there any swords in here that even the bravest men don't dare to touch? A sword that may seem to demand a greater respect than the rest?" She asked. He thought for a moment but then had a light bulb moment as he remembered something.

"I do have something, but I've long since tried to sell it. It hasn't budged since the day I found it as a boy and I've kept it as a momento to great craftsmanship and out of respect for the sword. I keep it in the back. Care to see?" He asked, leading the way for Timi to follow. He led them to what looked like a giant rock with something sticking out of it. Lifting the sheet that covered it off, Timi's eyes were entranced as she took in the sight of the most beautiful sword she had ever seen. The sharp part of the blade was a deep crimson red, like long rusted iron, the flat of it being jet black but for a few small white shining minerals that shone in it like stars. The hilt was wrapped in black with a red under layer and the hilt had a tiger on it as it growled at a dragon in the clouds.

**A/N check link at the end of fic to see**

It was as if the sword itself was calling out to her. She placed her right hand on the hilt and with one good tug, she pulled it from the stone. The blade rang as it exited it's prison, it's song like a beautiful melody as Timi couldn't help but keep swinging it to hear it's sweet tune again.

"Timi, what are you doing?" Rachael asked, snapping her out of her daze.

"You've been waving that thing around for the last 10 minutes." Rebecca added.

"Ossan! I want this one. You got a saya for it?" She asked, pointed it at the ground away from everyone else.

"I told you to not call me Ossan! Sheesh. I had one specifically made when I found it. It's behind the stone over there" he said, pointing to the wall where more swords hung. The saya shone brightly as if the dust there had never marred it's surface. Crimson and black stripes covered it's surface, the lines between them a brilliant gold.

"How much?" She asked.

"Don't be silly, I'm just glad to be rid of that cursed blade, Akakage. It's on the house if you'll take it from this place and never return it." He replied, returning to the front counter.

"So that's what I heard when I picked it up." She said to herself, sheathing the blade.

Rebecca looked at them both "Next?"

.

Saya - Japanese word for katana scabbard/sheath

Ossan - An impolite way of addressing middle aged men but here I've used it to address an old man.


	48. New clothes and a sundae?

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

Rebecca looked at them both "Next?"

"Clothes. We need some new ones." Timi replied.

"Didn't you bring any with you?" Rebecca asked, pointing to the orb on her staff as she hinted at the stuff they had stored in her pocket dimension.

"I did but nothing classy enough for a battlefield. We need something that screams 'look at me' or 'I am kickass!', something like that." Timi said.

"That and these are the only clothes I have, all my other ones were either burnt or torn up on that island." Rachael replied.

"And you need shoes..." Rebecca replied, pointing down.

"I have just the idea for me. I don't know about you guys but I have a kick ass outfit in mind." She replied, a huge smile on her face as she fist pumped "Rebecca, lemme get out the money I won earlier. I managed to get a good 300 mill in that casino."

"Woah! You won that much?! Well at least it's a round number so we can split it three ways." Timi replied, a little surprised at how much had been in the case Rachael had thrown at them earlier. As soon as they all had their own share of the cash, they all went their separate ways. Rachael headed to the food stands first, grabbing a selection of exotic kebabs, hot dogs, pizza and spicy foods. Finding a bench, she chowed down, eating each food quick, taking no longer than 10 minutes to eat the whole lot.

"Well now that's filled my stomach, time for some clothes." She said to herself as she disposed of the rubbish, washed her hands in a nearby public bathroom and then headed into a clothes shop. Looking around, she picked out a selection of clothes she liked and took them all into the changing room, ignoring the whining changing room assistant as they tried to stop her taking so much in with her. Slipping on a pair of black figure hugging jeggings and a pair of black leather boots with pointed studs that went up to just below her knee, she looked at the shirts she had picked. Trying on a dark blue boat neck shirt with the arms only as big as her hands, she looked at the other two. Keeping them as backups, she bought the clothes she was wearing as well as two other pairs of jeans and a couple of ripped style shirts.

Walking out into the next shop, she found a neat suede satchel. Picking it up, she realised she needed something to completed her look. She found a sleeveless hoodie made of leather and some leather bracelets to match. Trying them on for size, she bought them, put the bracelets on and the jacket in her satchel and walked out again. Content with her shopping spree, she decided to head to the main town since she saw that they had spent more time than they thought earlier, the sky beginning to get darker as night began to fall.

Finding a quaint little joint she walked in.

(Meanwhile, with Timi)

She picked up a pair of crimson skinny jeans with a ripped design, a pair of high top black converse on her feet. Buying them, she found a plain white shirt which suited her and she topped it off with a jet black leather jacket she had seen in the shop next door. Buying a leather lace, she fashioned a leather necklace from the unpolished ruby stone that Rebecca had enchanted and given to her. Slipping on a pair of dark grey fabric fingerless gloves, she looked at herself in the mirror.

_I hardly recognise myself. This'll do._

Finding herself hungry, she looked around but didn't really like the look of the Sabaody merchandise. Finding a large studio hall with a bar, she walked in, sitting down and ordering a sundae from the desserts menu to satisfy her sweet tooth.

A song with a good beat and loud vocals came on.

_Hey, I know this song._

It was a song she knew from her world and she looked to the stage to see Rachael in punkish makeup. Wolf in sheep's clothing was a good and suitable choice for the audience. The crowd seemed to be made almost completely of pirates. Looking around, she was surprised to see one of the 11 Supernovas. Eustass Kidd sat talking with Killer as a barmaid came and gave them two large mugs of sake, the maid bringing her the sundae she ordered but a few moments earlier.

Beware, beware, be sceptical  
Of their smiles, their smiles of plated gold  
Deceit so natural  
But a wolf in sheep's clothing is more than a warning  
Bah-bah-black sheep, have you any soul?  
No sir, by the way, what the hell are morals?

Jack, be nimble, Jack, be quick  
Jill's a little whore and her alibis are dirty tricks

So could you  
Tell me how you're sleeping easy  
How you're only thinking of yourself  
Show me how you justify  
Telling all your lies like second nature  
Listen, mark my words: one day (one day)  
You will pay, you will pay  
Karma's gonna come collect your debt

Kidd looked on in surprise, the sake in his mouth that he had sipped earlier spraying everywhere as he recognised the girl who had ran off and escaped him earlier. She looked different as her face had black lines drawn down both of her cheeks as a simple metallic band encased her forehead, her short wavy hair riding over its left side. Her blue eyes had become more piercing to him on the background of white behind her. All he could do was stare.

"Huh...seems someone's a fan." She said to herself as she saw his speechless expression from the corner of her eye.

Aware, aware, you stalk your prey  
With criminal mentality  
You sink your teeth into the people you depend on  
Infecting everyone, you're quite the problem  
Fee-fi-fo-fum, you better run and hide  
I smell the blood of a petty little coward

Jack, be lethal, Jack, be slick  
Jill will leave you lonely dying in a filthy ditch

So could you  
Tell me how you're sleeping easy  
How you're only thinking of yourself  
Show me how you justify  
Telling all your lies like second nature  
Listen, mark my words: one day (one day)  
You will pay, you will pay  
Karma's gonna come collect your debt

Maybe you'll change  
Abandon all your wicked ways  
Make amends and start anew again  
Maybe you'll see  
All the wrongs you did to me  
And start all over, start all over again.

Who am I kidding?  
Now, let's not get overzealous here  
You've always been a huge piece of shit  
If I could kill you I would  
But it's frowned upon in all fifty states  
Having said that, burn in hell!

(Where are you, motherfucker? Ha ha!)

So tell me how you're sleeping easy  
How you're only thinking of yourself  
Show me how you justify  
Telling all your lies like second nature  
Listen, mark my words: one day (one day)  
You will pay, you will pay  
Karma's gonna come collect your debt!

"This seat taken, miss?" A deep, husky, but familiar voice asked from behind her. She knew who it was and went along with it.

"Knock yourself out." She said, gesturing for him to take the last seat in the place as she played with her sundae, not bringing up her eyes to meet his.

_Should I even look at him? He's my idol. Stay calm, Timi. STAY CALM!_

She took the chance. The room seemed to go quiet as Law sat down beside her. Her heart beat faster in her chest and she grasped at her shirt as she suddenly felt warm.

"You ok?" Law asked nonchalantly, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"It's nothing." She replied but her thoughts said otherwise.

_Not OK. One of my favourite characters just sat down beside me...and he's one of the hot, dark horse types from One Piece that I adore. Why do I fall for guys like him so easily, I wonder?_

Taking a deep breath, she looked at Law as she saw him eying up her sundae.

_Greedy guts._

"You want some?" His eyes shot up to hers as he paused a moment before answering.

"Sure." He replied. Having only one spoon, she picked up a brownie piece covered in chocolate sauce with a little of the vanilla ice cream on top with her spoon. Bringing it to his mouth with her hand underneath in case it dripped, he took the spoonful almost greedily. Looking into his eyes, it seemed to her like he was undressing her with those silvery grey pools alone, smirking slightly as a little blush dusted her cheeks.

"It's good." He commented as he finished chewing the brownie piece and swallowed. They both continued to listen to Rachael as she sang, smirking as they shared the sundae. Rachael spotted them both in the crowd and thought of the next song to sing to try and get them together as she knew Timi had a crush on Law, no matter how much she tried to hide it. Not really good at matchmaking, she started singing 'When we stand together' by Nickelback. The crowd was going wild from her amazing singing.

"She's pretty good. I don't remember her being this good before, let alone this confident."

Law looked at her a moment with curious eyes before returning his stare to the stage.

"Have you known her a long time?" Law asked, not yet playing the 'that's my nakama' card to see what Timi knew first.

"Well, in terms of our lives so far, not long at all, just a couple of years. But man, we got along so well when we met that we ended up practically family. She's one of the reasons I have to...mmm, never mind." She stopped mid sentence as she realised she was beginning to let her mouth run wild too much. Rachael then moved onto her last song of the night, the pair of them not noticing they had missed several songs to their conversations.

It was 'Somebody for me' by Nickelback again, the band being a particular favourite of Rachael's preferred music.

"Son of a..." Timi began, listening to the rest of the song as she saw Rachael glimpse her way a few times before she ran out, her heart beating uncontrollably fast as she leant her right arm against the wall, her left grasping the part of her shirt over her chest.

"Hey, you ok?" Law asked again, following her out "You don't look so good."

Just the sound of his voice made her heart feel like it was trying to escape her chest. Panting fast, she took deep breaths to compose herself. Controlling her breathing, she stood straight.

"I'm all good. Thanks." She replied as Law tossed her jacket over. Putting it on as night fell on the island, she went in search of a place to stay for the night.

"Hey, I'm heading back to my sub if you need a place to stay." He offered.

_That's not like him to be so generous. Is he feeling OK?_

"I'm good, but thanks."

"Suit yourself." He said, walking off with his sword on his shoulder.


	49. Shenanigans, stabbing and spaghetti

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"Suit yourself." He said, walking off with his sword on his shoulder.

(Meanwhile, back inside)

Rachael left to go backstage, taking off her makeup and grabbing her bag. As she opened the door to leave, Killer and Kidd stood in the doorway.

"Here for another round?" She asked casually, not budging an inch for them.

"You caught us off guard last time. We're just here for some payback." Killer replied, cracking his knuckles.

"As I recall, you guys were trying to take my money, I just made sure that you wouldn't get your hands on it. It was really nothing personal." She replied, staring Kidd down as he glared at her with his big amber eyes. As they took a step towards her, she didn't budge as their faces were inches away from her own.

"At least let us give you a parting gift. It being the one that'll part you." Killer replied as Kidd pulled out his knife and he pulled out his rounded blades.

"I very much doubt it." She had just finished her sentence when a rush of pain came up from her abdomen. Kidd had gone for a stab to her stomach whilst Killer had gone closer to her intestines. She saw Killer's blade go straight through her body as Kidd's hit an artery, splurging blood everywhere. As they pulled out their blades, she stood holding Kidd's stab wound for a second, dropping her satchel. Suddenly, the wounds stopped bleeding, leaving behind a crude red mark where the blades had gone through.

"Like I said, I doubt it. You'll have to try harder." She replied, rushing forward as her and Kidd broke out into hand to hand combat. She managed to dodge and he landed blows on her but their fight was one sided as she barely managed to keep up with him. Kidd beat her black and blue over and over again but she came at him again and again even though she knew she would lose. From Killer's stand point, she was crazy.

"This is going nowhere." Killer said.

"Agreed. I'm heading out to get some rack." She replied, ignoring both of the men in the room as she pushed Killer gently out of the way to leave, swaying slightly as she leant against the doorframe as she left.

"Oh no you don't!" Kidd yelled after her as he ran in for a kill. Turning swiftly, she didn't have time to react as Kidd pinned her to the wall, a knife going deep into her right lung. She threw up a mouthful of blood all over Kidd's face, making him back off as she held the wound.

"Ugh, thanks. You're making me feel like a BLOODY nuisance."

"What are you woman?" Killer asked, internally face palming at the pun.

"Just a woman with a knack for staying alive." She replied, looking at them both as the wound in her chest stopped bleeding, leaving a dried stain behind on her shirt. "Can I go now?" She continued, treating the fight as if it hadn't happened.

"Cocky bitch! Just die already!" He shouted, stabbing again and again all over her torso. By the time he had finished, they were both panting, him from stabbing so fast and so much and her from the blood loss she had before the wounds staunched themselves.

"You done?" She asked.

"You just won't lie down and die, will ya bitch?" Kidd asked, a hand on his head in frustration that his target wasn't dying.

"Nope. 'Fraid I can't. It's not in my control to either." She replied, bending down to pick up her satchel as she wiped blood away from her mouth.

"I'm out. If you want to 'fight' me again, I'll be on Sabaody for about another 6 days. Come find me. Only this time, chill a little. You don't have to kill everything ya know." She said, not looking back as headed out into the night.

"Scrappy little bitch ain't she?" Kidd said, looking after her as she walked away slowly.

(The morning after...)

Timi yawned as the sun streamed in through the window, hissing at the bright light as she secretly loathed its existence. Getting up slowly, she showered to wake up more and dried off. Slipping on her clothes, she left the room in a relatively tidy state, checking out as she left the hotel. Heading out to the food sector of the Archipelago, she saw Rebecca again as she dug into a plate of spaghetti.

"Oh! Timi! I was wondering where you and 'the other one' had gone. What happened to you guys yesterday? I couldn't find you anywhere." She asked, her illusion already shimmering over her true form to avoid bringing attention to herself.

"Well, Trouble went and did a gig for a reason I have yet to find out and I found her by coincidence. I met Law, also by coincidence, when he shared a sundae with me and then I had a fit and then we both went our separate ways. I heard this morning that there was a ruckus just after me and Law left though. Haven't seen her since."

"So shenanigans and stuff...the normal I guess. Want some?" Rebecca asked, indicating the spaghetti in front of her.

"So early in the morning?" Timi asked, unaware what time of day it was.

"Timi, it's almost midday you dingus." Rebecca replied with her mouth full of limp spaghetti noodles.

Looking up, she raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"It's not like me to sleep so long. I must have been more tired than I thought. Oh well...I'd love a plate...and some coffee. I need my caffeine or I'm gonna die." She replied, answering Rebecca's earlier question. Waving over the waiter, Timi ordered her coffee, a plate of spaghetti and a piece of lemon meringue pie to take away. Bringing the food over after a short wait, she dug into the floppy noodles with a voracious appetite as Rebecca could only watch as she finished her own plate slower. Rebecca jumped as Timi slammed some money on the table, downing the last of her milky coffee with a satisfied look on her face.

"I'm off to explore. Bye bye."

"Wait...wha? OK then." She replied as Timi picked up the pie box and left.

_Why do I get the feeling like one of those two will cause trouble?_ Rebecca thought to herself.

As Timi walked down the high street, she saw Law sitting on a crate, along with Bepo, Shachi and Penguin behind him.

"Hey." Timi greeted him, keeping it simple and skipping formalities.

"Hey." He replied back.

"This seat taken, sir?" She asked, pointing next to him as she smirked.

"Knock yourself out." He replied.

_Heh, talk about deja vu, _Timi thought to herself.

"I don't think you told me your name last night."

"It's Timi." Was all she replied as she got comfortable sitting next to him.

"Nice name."

"Don't suppose you've seen her today?" She asked, referring to Rachael.

"No. It's been quiet. I hear there was a ruckus at the gig yesterday. Something to do with Kidd." He said.

_I had heard from Rebecca that there was a ruckus...but to have Kidd involved, does that woman have a deathwish?_

Her ears twitched a few times as her tail moved uneasily. Law looked down as he reached to pick up her tail. She didn't feel him touching it until he was halfway up and it sent shivers up her spine.

"Stop it." She said, not impressed by his attempt to annoy her. To get revenge, she tickled his nose with her tail tip, making him sneeze as he let go. Before he could get her back, he saw Kidd walking towards them. Getting up, Timi walked right up to him, looking up into his amber eyes with a questioning and wary glance, on guard in case he attacked.

"Yo, Eustass. Don't suppose you fought a girl last night?" She asked, jumping to a conclusion.

_I hope I'm right about this._

"Who wants to know?" He replied, already pissed at how she addressed him.

"Timi." She replied.

"And what would a little kitten want to know that for?" He teased, poking her small head as he towered over her small stature.

She got angry at the insult. Her ears stuck down, the fur on her tail standing on end as she growled at him.

"Where...is she?" She asked as the pupil in her eyes turned cat-like, burning as she asked the question slowly and seriously.

"I stabbed that bitch in the gut and then she left. I don't know where she is. Now piss off." He said, pushing her. Knowing she couldn't win, she turned on her heel and walked to sit back down next to Law.

"Gutsy move." He said, smirking.

"Shut up." She replied, still in a mood from her encounter with Kidd.

(Meanwhile, with Rebecca)

As Rebecca was flying around, she saw Rachael lying in the middle of an empty grove in a tree, basking in the shade of the giant mangrove on a high branch.

"What the hell? Did you seriously sleep in a tree all night?" She asked before she noticed that Rachael was still sound asleep.

"Hey! Wake up when someone's talking to you, woman!" She yelled, whacking Rachael on the head hard with her staff.

"Ow! What was that for?" She asked, looking up at who had disturbed her sleep, rubbing her eyes as she woke up fully.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! After I heard about the ruckus after your little concert last night, I was worried."

"Then stop worrying. I'm fine, alright? I can look after myself so stop looking for me like I'm a helpless kid, jeez." She yelled back, standing up and brushing herself off. Looking her up and down, she saw the place where Rachael had been stabbed the night before, holes in her top where they had pierced.

"What happened to you last night? Timi didn't see you after the gig and we heard there was a ruckus." She asked, a worried expression on her illusion.

"Well a certain top bountied rookie paid me a visit backstage and he and his first mate decided to get revenge for earlier. If I hadn't eaten my devil fruit, I could have been in serious trouble, but I'm all good."

"You really don't have any sense for danger do you?" Rebecca asked, face palming as

"Guess not. I'm hungry." She said, jumping off the tree branch and landing on the ground with a soft thud.

"Hey! I was talking ta you!" Rebecca yelled after her as she flew down.

"Know any good places to eat around here?" Rachael asked, continuing with her carefree attitude.

"Well as a matter of fact I know a good spaghetti place...BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT! This is serious, Rachael. If you're not careful, you could get yourself killed." She shouted at Rachael, walking alongside her.

"I know. Having knowledge of this world and what happens does help though. I didn't panic because I knew Kidd and Killer can't use Haki yet."

"Still, they left a few nice holes in your shirt. You should at least get a new change of clothes before eating." Rebecca replied, pointing to the holes and bloodstains left where Kidd and Killer had stabbed her.

"Meh. Alright. Clothes and then food. I am starving." Rachael said, shrugging as she walked into the same clothes shop she had been to yesterday. She scared away the customers and was warned by the staff to leave. She said nothing, ignoring their warnings and not even giving them a second glance. Grabbing a diagonally striped blue and black shirt, a plain light blue sleeveless vest and long sleeved dark green shirt with white slodges over it, she headed to the desk to buy it. Just as she was about to walk out, she saw two nice long scarves, one crimson red and the other royal blue. Grabbing them both, she walked out without paying, still ignoring the store clerk and staff as they called her a thief.

They both then headed to the place Rebecca had been to earlier, ordering a plate of the limp, delicious noodles with meatballs for Rachael. Taking a mouthful of the bolognese sauce, Rachael smiled "Man that's good."

She got the feeling as if she was being watched, her instincts never wrong as Rebecca saw Kidd out of the corner out of her eye warily watching her from a fair distance away.

"I think you have a shadow." Rebecca warned.

"I know. I've been keeping an eye out for the redhead since I lobbed one at him. Just didn't think he'd go as far as to try to kill me backstage quickly." She replied quietly so he wouldn't hear. "He ruins the taste of a meal. Besides, I want to have a little 'chat' with our Kidd."


	50. Horror rides and a pair of perverts?

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"I think you have a shadow." Rebecca warned.

"I know. I've been keeping an eye out for the redhead since I lobbed one at him. Just didn't think he'd go as far as to try to kill me backstage quickly." She replied quietly so he wouldn't hear. "He ruins the taste of a meal. Besides, I want to have a little 'chat' with our Kidd."

...

Getting up, she turned towards where Kidd was, meeting his dark glare with her own. He broke contact first but after he blinked, she had vanished, running off so fast he didn't see which way she went.

"Wait! Rachael!" Rebecca called after her. She felt something under her hand. Looking down, she saw a piece of paper on the table.

" 'You'll see me at the auction house. Don't look for me. R.' Ugh, what a butt. She knows how to keep me on edge." She said to herself, burning up the paper in her hand as the orb on her staff glowed faintly.

(Meanwhile, with Kidd)

"Shit! Bitch ran off! How can she be so fast to leg it and yet not be able to dodge my attacks in a fight?" He asked no one in particular as Killer sweat dropped next to him.

"Well we did have her cornered. That room was very small so it was to her disadvantage." He replied, suggesting a possible reason.

(meanwhile with Timi)

As she walked around the fairground to the Sabaody Park, she saw several attractions to win plushies and cool toys for kids. None interested her but as she looked around, she saw a horror ride for over 18's.

_This should be fun._

Walking up to the man, he had a hard time believing she was 18 because she was so short and denied her money. Drawing her sword, she pointed it at the man's throat and gave him a death glare, not saying a word as she slid it a little across his skin, drawing a little droplet of blood so he knew she meant business.

"W-w-well I g-guess we c-c-could make an exception, m-miss." He then said, changing his mind since he had no other choice than his own potential death. Smiling with terrifying smile, she sheathed her sword and got into the cart. Pulling the lever, the man watched her as the doors closed, leaving her in the darkness. Only a few seconds in the dark, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking at it, she recognised the tattoos as an amber light lit up the room, revealing a nest of large live spiders.

"Hello again." She said, her eyes looking around as she found each part fascinating. A coffin opened to reveal a mummy, the smell rancid as they passed.

"Didn't think you were into scary things. Usually women are screaming every time they come out of one of these." He said, almost whispering it in your ear.

"Probably coz they see you mid ride." She replied, turning her head so her face was right in front of his.

A snakes hiss made her jump out of her skin as she jumped into Law's compartment, burying her head under his arm in fear.

"What are you doing?" He asked, lifting his arm to look at her, now confused at her behaviour.

"Hiding. Ugh, why did I do this?" She replied, pulling his arm down again.

Smirking, he scratched behind her ears. She smiled under his arm as he heard a light purr escape her. Then the unexpected happened. The ride suddenly stopped as the power went out.

"Is it over?" She asked, peeking out from under his arm.

"Stupid ride. Wasn't expecting much anyways. You coming?" He asked, offering her a hand as he stood outside the cart. Taking it, she didn't let go as they walked along the rails to the end.

"You can let go now." He said, lifting his hand for her hand to drop.

"No thanks. I don't trust this shit even if it is broke. I'm good hiding behind you. Just forget I am here." She replied, holding his arm close with her other arm.

"Tsk. Whatever." He replied, walking at a pace for her to keep up with.

As they reached near the end of the ride, it fired back into life, making Timi jump and grip Law tighter.

"Hey. It's ok, we're almost at the exit." He replied, giving her hand a slight squeeze and scratching behind her ears again as they exited through the small doors. As they were greeted by sunlight, Timi smiled a little as she revelled in her freedom, purring deeply as Law scratched further behind her ear.

"Hey look! Captain has a friend." A high pitched voice piped up. As they both looked up, they saw Bepo, Shachi and Penguin, along with a few crew mates looking at Law and Timi with gaping mouths. Looking down at their still entwined hands, they quickly separated, the pair of them blushing deeply.

"Ooooo, get you Captain! She's rather fetching!" Penguin shouted as he ran behind her to stare at her ass.

"Captain and tiger girl sitting in a tree. Woop woop!" Shachi backed up Penguin, also staring at Timi's ass.

"What's her name, Law?" Bepo asked, not joining in the tomfoolery as the pair of stupid idiots inched closer to Timi's ass.

"Timi."

"Oooo. Nice name." Shachi said.

"Nice ass too." Penguin said, reaching out a hand.

"If you really want to feel an ass..." She started, turning around quickly. Grabbing their heads, she turned them so they were facing each other and made them touch each other's butts, striking a gay pose in public.

"...feel free to do it in your own time, posers." She finished. Law smirked and Bepo was left clueless as he watched Penguin and Shachi as they seemed to enjoy it.

"Wait a sec..." Shachi started.

"...This ain't right." Penguin finished.

Timi pushed their heads together, forcing their tongues into each other's mouths as they tried to cry out in refusal.

They separated themselves fast, coughing and spluttering as they tried to rid the taste of each other's saliva from their mouths.

"The hell?! What was that for?" Shachi asked.

"Serves you right for staring, jerk." She replied, towering over him as he cowered in her small silhouette.

"Well, now we know not to piss you off." Penguin said, backing away slowly as he helped Shachi to his feet again.

"Stop terrorising my crew, Miss Timi."

" Screw you. I do what I want." Timi said, frowning in annoyance at Law as she began to leave.

"And just Timi is fine. Anyways, I'm off to kill some time. Finding that crazy girl you call a crew member seems like a good place to start. Think I'll do it the long way too."

"If you're going to look for Rachael, I should come too." Law offered.

"No thanks. As much as I like the idea, the two of us can spread more ground apart. Besides, this is Rachael we're talking about. She could be anywhere." Timi replied, strutting away before had a chance to respond.

"What is with that woman?" Penguin asked, speaking Law's mind for him as he smirked after her.

...

After searching the whole day for Rachael to no avail, she walked through a rundown looking part of Sabaody. It was long past dusk as the moon came out and glistened across the water, the backstreets lit by nothing but it's eerie silver glow. As she walked down the street, she saw several sets of eyes glaring at her in the darkness, the glint of their weapons shining in the moonlight. Feeling on edge, she brought her hand on to Akakage's handle, ready to draw. Her ears went down as she heard a mean laugh from behind her. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she turned fast, pointing her sword at the man's throat whilst staying on guard herself. As she took a moment to look though, she realised she had pointed the cursed sword at Law. His one free hand was held up in surrender as he smirked at her.

"Hey." He said, brushing off the fact that she had just pointed a sword at his throat.

"Don't startle me. I thought you were someone else." She said, sheathing her sword.

"Jumpy?" He replied, his sarcasm not impressing her at this point.

"I'm on edge. It's be wise not to mess with me right now." She replied, half saying it to their onlookers. She was about to walk away when Law piped up.

"Didn't find her in the end. Need a place to stay?" He called after her, making her stop and grin to herself.

"I was looking for one when you found me actually." She replied.

"Come stay at my sub if you can find it. I owe you for the sundae anyway." He offered, vanishing into the shadows as he walked away.

Jumping up onto a low building, she looked down at the men who had been waiting for her in the alleyways, their eyes full of malice and greed as some of them looked her up and down. Shifting into her tiger form, she jumped down on them all, slashing and ripping their bodies apart until there was nothing left but an unrecognisable pile of blood and body parts remaining. A toothy blood covered grin crossed her striped face as she looked happy with her kill. Lifting her nose to the wind, she smelt around for Bepo, remembering what he had smelt like when she was in her human form around him earlier.

After a while, she found the sub, getting to it at the same time that Law did. Letting out a loud roar, he turned sharply on his heels to see her jumping over him and then onto the sub in two large bounds. Sitting down, she waited for Law to come aboard, shifting to a slightly smaller tiger form so she fit through the door to the inside of the sub. Running ahead of him, she couldn't help herself as she ran around curiously, taking in all the sights and sounds in the sub. Not looking where she was going, she bumped into Bepo, her face colliding with his belly as she seemed to bounce off. Rubbing a paw over her nose, she felt a paw on her head. Bepo was patting it lightly as she said sorry in a series of growls.

"That's ok. Just look where you're going next time." He replied. Shachi and Penguin came around the corner of the corridor she was in, laughing at each other's jokes. Timi glared at them, her ears a little down as she gave them a series of low threatening growls.

"Ummm...nice kitty?" Penguin said, backing off a little.

"She says 'Try touching my butt again and I'll rip off your hand bitches.' " Bepo said, translating her words.

"Wait, is this..." Shachi said looking down as Timi seemed to have stopped growling as she shifted back into human form.

"The one and only."

"Hey! Timi! Don't run off damnit!" Law's voice shouted as he came around the corner to see Penguin and Shachi terrified and backing away slowly.

"...and stop terrorising my crew."

"I'll do what I want thanks. I'm just making sure these posers don't try to start something frisky with me again." She said, glaring at them and scaring them off.

"Ugh. What am I going to do with you?" He asked himself.

"I don't know, I'm not you." She replied.

A few moments of silence passed between the three of them in the corridor before Law's cook called from the kitchen that dinner was ready.


	51. Bunking down and bitter medicine

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

A few moments of silence passed between the three of them in the corridor before Law's cook called from the kitchen that dinner was ready. Bepo ran in and grabbed his food, then leaving for the cockpit since he had been assigned to lookout duty.

They all entered the food hall without saying a word, sitting together at a table as bowels of ramen were passed around to everyone. As the rest of the crew laughed, Law just sat there staring at Timi as she ate.

"Do you mind?" She asked.

"What was I doing?" He asked, feigning ignorence.

"Staring, you perv. What are you even looking at? There's nothing about me worth gawking at."She replied, taking in another mouthful of noodles.

"Your ears. They're nice." He replied, looking down at his bowl as he picked up a rather large piece of meat from the mess of noodles and seaweed.

"You tell that to every girl with fuzzy ears?" She asked, now staring right into his eyes.

"Heh. Not often we have girls here anyway. This is just a thank you, nothing else." He replied, pointing his chopsticks at her.

"As long as it isn't more than that." She finished, leaving the atmosphere tense between them as she continued to shlurp her noodles.

The silence was soon broken as sirens sounded loudly, making Timi drop her chopsticks and hold her ears down at the sudden loud noise. Bepo's voice shouted down the speaker.

"There's two Marine ships coming around the shore. We'll have to submerge or we'll be targeted."

"Crap." Timi said under her breath.

"Looks like you'll be here a little longer." Law said in a low voice, smirking almost in glee.

"Don't do that, it's creepy." She replied, giving him an evil glare before he walked off to the cockpit, leaving her alone. Her appetite seemed to leave along with him as she began to think forward in time in the one piece universe.

_I know Ace died in the anime, but that doesn't stop me feeling conflicted. What am I supposed to do?_

Leaving her ramen unfinished, she walked out into the corridor to the confusion if those who remained in the food hall. She suddenly got a headache, feeling the sub submerge at a relatively rapid pace. Holding her head, she felt her ears pop as she leant her body against the wall. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Penguin.

"Hey, you ok? You don't look so good." He said, looking at her in worry. Slapping his hand away, she threw up the noodles she had eaten earlier, falling to her knees weakly.

"Uh oh. Looks like you're aren't used to the pressurised environment yet. Let's get you to a bathroom." He said, grabbing under arm and being careful to not touch her boobs as he blushed a little. She saw the rose in his cheeks but ignored it as he helped her into a nearby ensuite bedroom where she then made her own way to the toilet and continued to throw up her guts.

After a good half hour, her stomach was empty and all she had left to throw up was stomach acid. Her throat burned as she coughed to moisten her mouth again. Running the tap, she rinsed her mouth and took a few sips of the cool water to get rid of the terrible smell and taste of vomit and bile. Coming out of the bathroom when she was certain she wouldn't throw up anymore, she looked around the bedroom. The duvet cover was dark blue, a white crest of the heart pirates decorating it's cover. A black mattress sheet could be seen peeking out from under it as black pillows sat at the top of the bed to match it. The walls were a comforting eggshell blue crossed with ivy green colour and a metallic, futuristic lightshade decorated the bulb that lit the room.

A small desk sat in the corner. A few storybooks sat in a couple of messy piles whilst a few notebooks were arranged neatly in a holder. Curious, she picked one up and began to read. Knowing the neat and curly style, she smiled as she noticed Rachael's handwriting. She had begun to write something but had stopped fairly early on. She could see why and put the notebook back where it was.

"Got to plan ahead more buddy." She said to herself, aimed at Rachael even though she wasn't there.

As she made her way to the door, Law suddenly appeared.

"You alright now?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Yes. Can I pass?" She asked, slightly annoyed as he blocked her way.

"Maybe." He smirked.

They stood there for a while staring into each other's eyes until Law broke the contact and got out of the way and walked ahead of her. She stopped a few times when she felt queasy again, leaning against the wall with a hand over her mouth. They stopped in front of a door labelled 'ER'. Law went in as Timi waited outside.

"Not coming?" He asked.

"No thanks. Hospitals gimme the creeps enough already so an ER terrifies me. No thank you." She replied, waving her hands in a big no-no sign.

"Don't like going to the doctors, huh? You must hate me then." He replied as he began searching through a large stash of medicine pots. Pulling out a small one, he threw it to Timi outside the door as he started to come back out.

"I don't hate you. Oddly enough, you're the only one I can really stand." She replied, looking down at the pot as she caught it. "If you're expecting me to take these, I ain't touching 'em."

"Then you won't eat. Without them you won't be able to keep down your food for a while. They'll help your body to adjust to the pressure." He replied, frowning at her.

"Don't care. It's not happenin' " She argued back, raising her voice a little as she threw the pot back at him.

"If you won't take them, your body will give out before it has a chance to absorb anything you eat!" He argued, raising his voice a little and throwing the pot back.

"Then you'll have to force feed them to me! I'm not taking them without a fight!" She hissed at him. Her tail went bushy and her ears went down as she growled, throwing the pot back hard this time.

"Easily arranged." Law replied "ROOM!"

A blue bubble appeared around the room.

"SHAMBLES!" Law disappeared from Timi's sight, reappearing behind her before she had time to react. He forced her into the ER and pinned her down on the operating table. Taking a pill of out of the pot with his mouth, he leaned in close to her face, now straddling her small waist so he had his hands free. Squeezing the sides of her jaw bone harshly, eventually she cried out in pain. He used the opportunity to slip the pill in but at the same time got his tongue in her mouth, making her let out a moan as he forced her to swallow the pill.

_Bastard! He forced that demon-spawn down my throat AND made out with me at the same time. What a smart ass..._

She blushed deeply as he pulled away, leaving her gasping for breath as he licked his lips, still straddling her midriff.

"Cat got your tongue?" He joked as he looked at her speechless beet red face.

"Umm...great kiss?" She said, realising afterwards what she had said as she covered her mouth and went and even darker shade of red. He smirked.

Her expression then changed as she attempted to steer where this was going somewhere else "I mean...can you get off me now?!"

"Hehe. You're cute when you're flustered." He smirked, getting off and disengaging his room technique. Offering her a hand, she slapped it away as she got down on her own and quickly stomped away and out of the ER.

She soon bumped into someone in her state of blind fury. Looking up, it was someone she didn't know.

"Oh, sorry." She said quickly, making to walk past him in a hurry to get away.

"That's no problem. I heard what happened just now between you and the captain. You ok?" He asked.

Timi swiftly turned, grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt and pulling him down to her level.

"Tell anyone and I will end you." She whispered in his ear, sending shivers up and down his spine as she pushed him away.

"Ok, ok. I won't. But I came to ask if you'd like us to show you to a room for the night. You look tired, miss?"

"Timi. And yes, I am tired as heck and that rush of adrenaline back there is making me crash hard right now. Who are you anyway?" She asked, recalling the Heart Pirates she had seen in the anime. His face was one she hadn't seen before. His hair was jet black, combed back as a pair of polarised sunglasses held it up. His eyes were a deep shade of green with hazel flecks near his pupil. His face was rounded and his body was slim like Law's. "You kidding? I would think you would have at least remembered the face of the person that fed you earlier." He replied, crossing his arms. "I'm the cook aboard. The name's Irwin."

"Sorry. Earlier I was preoccupied by your pervert of a captain being a dick during dinner. He wouldn't stop staring and it was creepy." She replied, her heartbeat now slowing after her encounter with Law, her angry breaths now normalising as she began to calm down.

"Hehe. You'll get used to him. He can just get a bit carried away sometimes. He's stubborn but it's all good...as long as you don't get on his bad side." He replied, turning to lead her back.

"You'll have to use Rachael's room I'm afraid. None of the other rooms would give you the privacy since it's near enough an all male crew. Hope that's ok with you." He said, turning a corner as Rachael's room came into view.

"That's fine. I'd rather not sleep with Penguin and Shachi in close proximity if I can help it. Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee can keep their perverted fantasies away from me." She said, mainly to herself as she looked up at Irwin who looked confused.

"Tweedle-wha?" He asked, completely lost.

"Clearly you guys have never heard of Alice in Wonderland. Never mind. Forget about it. I'm heading to bed. Gnight Irwin." She said, stepping inside Rachael's room and closing the door as he left without a word.

She leant her head on the door.

_God damnit...I couldn't control myself. Fucking Law! I'm getting him back for that._

(the next day)

It was around 10:30am when Timi awoke to the splashing of the sub coming above water again. She hissed as sunlight streamed in through the small solitary window, covering her eyes as she unravelled her cocoon. She hadn't changed clothes before going to sleep and had unconsciously wrapped herself in the duvet whilst she slept. The pillows were strewn everywhere, most of which had ended up on the floor. Slowly rising, she made the bed and placed the pillows in their proper spot before inspecting her work. Picking up Akakage, she walked out and followed her nose to the dining hall.

Walking into the doorway, she saw Law, Bepo and Irwin all sat talking quietly amongst themselves around a table. She knocked on the doorframe to get their attention.

"About time." Law said, his usual smirk nowhere to be seen.

"Screw you. I like my sleep." She replied, taking a few cautious steps into the dining hall as Irwin walked up to the kitchen door. "Hey Irwin, don't suppose you have coffee do you?"

"Sure do. I keep a fairly large stock of it since most of the crew drink it. Especially Law. He can't get enough of the stuff."He replied, pushing the door open a crack as the smell of something baking wafted into the room.

"Can you make me one please?" She asked nicely, a friendly smile crossing her lips.

"Sure, how do you like it?" He replied, grabbing a mug from the cupboard behind the kitchen door.

"Lots of milk and no sugar. Some chocolate with it if you have some too, please. Thanks Irwin."

"No breakfast?" Law asked, leaning towards her as she took a seat as far opposite him as she could.

"I don't eat breakfast." She replied simply, leaning her head on her right hand as she closed her eyes, still waking up.

"That's not healthy. Especially after last night." He replied, a slight tone of annoyance obvious in his voice.

A light blush crossed her face as she remembered the night before, opening her eyes and giving him an evil glare.

"Coffee gets me through the day and lunch and dinner are just necessities that I'd rather avoid. I usually snack throughout the day instead. I'll be fine." She replied as Irwin came out of the kitchen with her coffee. As he set it down, she almost immediately picked it up, blowing on it a little before she sipped at the caffeinated brown liquid.

"So...what happens if you don't get your coffee?" Law asked, now showing his trademark curious smirk.

She looked at him over the rim of the mug. "You don't want to know."


	52. No coffee makes Timi grumpy

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

She looked at him over the rim of the mug. "You don't want to know."

About half an hour passed awkwardly as there was nothing but silence between Timi and Law as she sipped her coffee. Bepo had left to tend to a few things in the cockpit as Law still stared at Timi whenever she ate or drank anything.

"That's still creepy ya know." Timi said, finally breaking the silence after she had finished her coffee.

"I find you fascinating. Am I not allowed to stare?" He asked, his smirk vanishing again.

"What is there to be fascinated about? There's probably other people out there with devil fruit abilities or who have ears and tails like mine. Go find them. I'm sure they'd be more entertaining than I am." She said, getting up to leave and go back to the comfort of Rachael's room. Law shot up and grabbed her hand as she turned to leave. Surprised by his behaviour, he soon let go as he surprised himself with his own actions and without any parting words, they left each other in silence.

As Timi made her way back to Rachael's room, she walked over to the desk. Looking through the books on the table, she picked one out that she liked the look of and began to read. It was a small tome covered in an ivy green colour, gold letters adorning it's cover and spine. It followed the adventures of a spriggan who wandered from place to place and she decided to give it a shot since she had nothing else to do. As she sat down on the bed to read, her face changed expressions many times as time passed. She had gone from smiling in happiness to frowning in question many times as she flipped the pages in succession, completely forgetting about lunch later on.

Eventually, she had laid down on her front with a pillow under her arms as she got more into the story so she didn't notice when Law had walked in and sat down on the bed next to her. Reaching the end of the book after it had taken her a good part of the day to finish, she sat up and accidentally bumped into Law, almost knocking him off the bed.

"What the- how long have you been there?" She asked in surprise, laying the book on the bedside table.

"Long enough. I came in just as you reached about the middle of that book." He replied, pointing to it as he smirked.

"That long ago?! Holy sh- you really are a pervert. You have to stop doing that!" She replied as she made to get off the bed.

"I don't have to do anything." He said plainly, no smirk to be seen crossing his face now.

"At least stop sneaking into people's bedrooms like it's no one's business. If you want to do that, go bother the pervy-twins down the other side of the sub." She gestured behind her with a thumb, now arguing back at him.

"But this room is closer to mine than theirs. Besides, they're men. Why would I be interested in them?" He replied, shrugging innocently.

"Dunno. Are you gay?" Timi replied, smiling to herself as she imagined Law flirting with Penguin for a second.

"Never tried it before. Why? Is it fun?" He asked, widely smirking now as he toyed with her.

"Why are you asking me? I haven't been with a someone of the same sex either you know. I've had guys in the past and each was one disappointment after the next. I'm not looking for anything of that nature for a while. Nu-uh, no thanks." She replied crossing her arms as she closed her eyes.

"Shame..." Was all Law replied as he turned to leave.

"Huh?" Timi asked, confused.

"It's nothing." He replied, leaving her alone in Rachael's room.

"Weirdo." She said, insulting him after he was out of earshot.

Going to his room, he went to the transponder snail. Dialling in a number, he waited as the Den-Den Mushi rang. Eventually his recipient picked up.

"Hey. Where are you right now? I know you're on Sabaody so get your sorry butt to the sub." He ordered in a serious tone.

"Ugh...you woke me up for that. I know you've been anchored off shore since yesterday, I was going to come back to you guys tomorrow morning anyway. Wait until then, ." Rachael's tired voice came through the receiver.

"Lazy. Can't you follow an order for once? You wanted to be part of this crew in the first place." He replied, sitting down in his desk chair.

"I do follow orders when the need arises for it. I'll be back in the morning so be patient for fucks sake."

Penguin and Shachi suddenly appeared, stealing the speaker from Law.

"Hey Rachael! Where are ya, sis? Captain's got a new squeeze so ya got some competition!" Shachi yelled, making Rachael back off from the receiver a bit at the sudden loud voices on the other end.

"Has he now? Don't suppose her name is Timi is it?" She asked, guessing by who she knew Timi's favourite Supernovas were.

"Yeah. But how did you..." Penguin asked.

"She's a friend of mine bro. Treat her good or I'll kick both your asses." She replied, yawning loudly and long.

"She already took care of that." Law replied, stealing the speaker back from them.

"Hehe. Not surprising. Don't underestimate her sense of patience or you'll find yourself at the morgue guys." She replied, sounding like she was going to sleep again as she seemed to be saying her words slower.

"Be here in the morning. That's an order." Law replied.

"I'll be there around midday ish. Morning is too early. Laters." She replied, hanging up on Law before he could argue back.

Timi had been stood outside Law's room eavesdropping since Shachi and Penguin had rushed in. The conversation between the four of them made her smile a wide grin as she walked quietly to the kitchen so she wasn't caught.

"Irwin! I need food! And coffee!" She yelled, sitting down and resting only her head on the table as it suddenly hit her how hungry and thirsty she was.

"Sorry Timi. I'm under orders from the Captain not to give you food until we either surface or you take the anti-pressure pills." He replied, poking his head out of the small hole in the wall where dishes were supposed to be passed through when they were finished with.

"What? Not even coffee?" She asked, hoping he would except it from the order.

"Especially coffee." He replied, a sad expression on his face.

"Excuse me whilst I go and kill him." She replied, a nice but untrusting smile spread across her face as she left slowly. As she reached the corridor, she snapped.

"LAAAAAAAAAW! GET YOUR BUTT OUT HERE RIGHT NOW! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU FOR TAKING AWAY MY COFFEE, JACKASS!" she shouted, stomping throughout the sub as some of the crew seemed to run for cover when they saw her coming for fear of their lives.

"Somebody call?" He asked innocently as he came out of his room, his nodachi in his hand. Her eyes locked on and burned with intense rage. She drew her sword and sent a flying attack at him, her blind fury driving her as the fur on her tail went bushy, her ears stuck half down in an annoyed position. It narrowly missed him as he activated his devil fruit powers.

"ROOM!" he shouted, nodachi drawn as he cut Timi to pieces.

"Fuck you asshole! First you force a pill down my gullet, then you ban me from coffee. Bad move, Trafalgar! Bad move!" She shouted, her now separated tail twitching uncontrollably in anger.

"Says the one in pieces..." he said, looking down at her detached head. Looking at his ankles, she used her jaw to launch her head high enough to bite into one through his jeans.

"Argh! Bitch, give up already!" He ordered, waving his leg around to try and get her off.

"Bite me!" She shouted back at him with her mouth full of Law's leg. It wasn't until she managed to draw blood through his jeans that she finally let go. Looking over her separated body parts with her severed head, she instructed each one to move in turn. She started with her arms and torso, popping her head back on and then moving to construct her lower section. It didn't take longer than 5 minutes before she had fully reconstructed herself.

"Ready for Round 2? I don't make the same mistake twice." She said, back flipping until she was just outside Law's operating space. She brushed herself off like nothing happened, making Law a little annoyed.

"You're really asking for it!" Law yelled, disengaging his room and drawing his nodachi as he launched himself at her. It was now a battle of blades. Though Timi left a few light scratches on him, he left deeper wounds, his skill with a sword showing the difference in their strength as he left a large gash across her right side. After 15 minutes, Law had disarmed her and she couldn't stand anymore. Dropping to her knees from blood loss, she panted heavily. Law touched the side of her face with the tip of his blade, making her look up at him.

"Open wide." He ordered, a serious look crossing his face with a pill in his hand.

She seemed to take it without arguing when he put it in her mouth...or so he thought. A moment later, she spat the pill into his face.

"Go...to hell." She managed to say before fainting.

"Damnit Timi. Why must you be stubborn?" Law asked her unconscious body.

Picking her up, he took her to the infirmary. He cleaned and patched up her wounds, injecting her with a liquid form of the anti-pressure drug whilst she was out cold.

_I figured she wouldn't take it. After my first success, she's been more on guard. But if she won't take the pill or the injection, how can I help her? It's like trying to treat a spoilt child._

(The following day, around noon)

Rachael jumped aboard the sub as it surfaced, soon greeted by Bepo and Law as they opened the main entry hatch.

"Hey." Rachael greeted. Law said nothing as he walked up to her. To both her and Bepo's surprise, he slapped her across the face, leaving a large red mark.

"Where the hell have you been?!" Law shouted at her.

She remained silent as she rubbed her now sore face, the usual smile nowhere to be seen on her usually cheery face. Before he could reprimand her more though, Shachi and Penguin came running out onto the wet deck. Tackling her to the ground in a huge group hug, she laughed half-heartedly as the three of them all lay there in the sun. Law noticed her weak laugh.

_I know that she'd usually laugh heartier than that. Something must be wrong._

"Come on, you need a check up." He ordered, waving her inside.

"Yessir!" She replied, taking her time as she followed him to the examination room next to the infirmary.

"Clothes off." He ordered, turning his back as she undressed down to her underwear and bra.

"You can turn around now." She said. As he turned, he gasped as he saw all the little red stab marks from where Kidd had gone to town with his knife, the bruising from his beating still a deep shade of purple.

"The hell?!" He asked, feeling his way over her scars gently "How are you still alive, Rachael?! With this many stab wounds, you could kill someone at least twice your size."

"Well, umm...funny story." She said, but before she could continue, he worked his way round to her back.

"What the heck have you been doing?!" He asked, a hand now on her back as he traced the scars of the numerous lashings and cuts she had received back on the island.

"Which answer do you want first?" She replied nonchalantly.

"Tell me everything. No ordinary human could survive this." He ordered, gesturing to all of her.

"Okay. Might as well start at the beginning." She said, taking a seat on the nearby bed.

She rehearsed the same story she had told the Straw Hats before about how they had tortured her and then forcefully fed her a devil fruit. How their torture had continued and her regeneration ability wasn't unlocked until she had recovered naturally from the ordeal. How she had gotten to the Sabaody Archipelago with the Straw Hats. How she had reunited with Rebecca and Timi. Until finally she caught him up to speed with how she had gotten herself stabbed after the concert and why Kidd was now pissed off with her.

Law stopped her before she could say anymore.

"You should know Timi is recovering right now."

"What?! Why?!" She suddenly cried out, jumping off the bed and rushing next door before Law could answer her question. Opening the door hurriedly, she rushed to Timi's bedside.

"Who did this?" She asked.

"I did." Law replied from behind her, casually leaning in the doorway.

"Wha- why?" She asked, now confused.

"She was being stubborn."


	53. Having a whale of a time

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"She was being stubborn." Was all he said. He saw no need to respond anymore than he had to.

"That's no reason to cut up my friend, you idiot!" She said, punching him square in the jaw before he had time to react. She stormed back into the other room, shoving her clothes back on swiftly and angrily before Shachi and Penguin got the chance to have a pervy nosebleed or before Law could stop her from staying in the infirmary whilst her bruises healed up. Storming out, she came to face with the pervert twins, both of them looking at her wierdly.

"Well..." Penguin started.

"...look who's home late. You look like you could use..." Shachi continued.

"...a pick me up." Penguin finished.

Both of them picked her up quickly, running her in the direction of the kitchen.

"Guys, seriously, I'm fine. I'm..." She stopped and sighed.

_I should know better with these two. Once they make up their mind, it's not easy to stop them._

The two realised her discomfort as they threw her onto a chair in the food hall.

"Irwin, cook us up a feast. We got a hungry lady in here in need of...ummmm..." Penguin stopped, unsure of what to ask for since Rachael had always seemed to ask for what she felt like before she had left.

"...some good food and fun times? Just bring lots of spaghetti, egg fried rice..." Shachi finished his partners sentence.

"...and chocolate brownies! And don't even think about skipping out on the cream." Penguin finished.

_The more I am with these two, the more they remind me of Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee. That or Plusle and Minun from Pokemon. Either way, they're just about as daft as I was when I was a kid. Maybe I am losing my touch..._

"One feast for a hungry lady coming right up..." Irwin's voice called from the kitchen as he started pulling out all sorts of meats, vegetables and other assortments of ingredients.

At that moment, there was an eruption of crew mates through the door to the food hall. They rushed Rachael, lifting her into the air as the welcomed her home. Everything was alright until she couldn't take the violent action of being thrown up in the air anymore. She winced in pain as some of the crew touched her tender bruises, making them stop as she held the area most in pain.

"Hi to you too guys." She said weakly as they put her down, sitting down at the table again as she let her head flop onto its hard surface.

"Hey, you ok? You don't look so good sis." Penguin asked, putting a hand on her head.

"Hot chocolate." She said, staring off in the directions of Law's room and the infirmary like she could see through the separating walls.

"Huh?" The majority of the crew asked in confusion.

"I want...hot chocolate. And not the powder stuff." She said, leaning her head into the crevice of her arm as she closed her eyes.

"What kind of hot chocolate are you talking about then? Is there another way to make it?" Shachi asked, scratching his head curiously.

"Yea. The Spanish way. Literally, just melt chocolate to the point before it becomes bitter, add a little cream or milk to cool it, put it in a cup and drink until you're sick." She replied, yawning as she finished.

"That actually sounds good. Hey Irwin! Get some sicky chocolate in here!"

"Spanish?" Irwin asked, now confused since he'd never heard of Spanish hot chocolate before, let alone Spain.

(meanwhile in Sabaody Park)

Rebecca stared at the ticket prizes. The biggest ones that she was interested in that covered the high wall were all stuffed sea creatures. There was an octopus, a squid, some small fish as well as a few others that she had never seen before. But there was one over all the others that caught her attention and held her gaze for over ten minutes. Atop the mountain of prizes, sat a whale. The more she looked at it, the more it reminded her of Laboon.

Then she had an idea.

_I know just the person who would love that as a gift._

"If you want that whale plush, I'm afraid there is only one." The woman behind the desk said, getting her attention "You must hurry if you want to win it though. A young man came in earlier and he's been assaulting the ticket machines like his life depends on it."

"Really? Then let's get started." She said, grinning widely. Going outside, she tapped her staff on the ground, summoning several clones of herself. Uttering a few words under her breath, her clones began to transform. One turned into a young man, another an old woman. The other two turned into twin versions of a younger version of herself, giggling and laughing like the world was their oyster. They set to work, each dividing and conquering a separate part of the arcade.

But it had not escaped the eyes of the competition.

The young man doubled his efforts, winning game after game as the tickets kept coming. It wasn't too long before he had enough to get the whale.

"Excuse me, I'll take the-"

"HOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLDDDD IT!" Rebecca shouted, hands held out in refusal to accept her defeat so easily. Her clones disappeared in puffs of smoke, their tickets storing themselves in her pocket dimension.

"I have every right to that as much as you! I'll duel you for it if need be but I'm not leaving without it!"

_Why do I feel so strongly about this?_

"Heh! Tell ya what, since I am in a good mood right now, I'll play ya for it." He said. Swiping the overhanging blonde hair that covered his right eye in his attempt to be fabulous, his left could be seen peeking out from the huge and fluffy overhang of hair.

"Name your game." She replied, her illusion's expression now serious.

"Let's go simple. Blackjack...3 rounds." He said, putting his fingers up in count.

"Got cards?"

"I do now." He said as the person behind the counter handed him a pack in exchange for 70 tickets.

"Right here, right now." She said taking half of them from him as they each shuffled a half. Handing the remaining cards back to her, she dealt two cards for each of them onto the counter.

Looking at hers, she had struck gold with two Aces. Placing her cards on the counter, she waited as he made his decision to take another card. Doing so, he then slammed his cards down, the three of them reading a bust.

"1-nil. My win." She said, turning her cards as she grinned at him. Taking them in a huff, he then shuffled and dealt.

Looking down, he had a Jack and Ace of Spades. Calming down again, he placed his cards down. She followed suite, not taking another card. They both flipped but he won by two, getting 21 whilst she had only 19. He grinned in triumph, ready for the last round. Handing the cards to Rebecca, he seemed to trust her to deal the final round. She uttered a few words under her breath, her hand glowing green for a split second before she began shuffling the cards.

_I'm not taking chances here. I am leaving with that whale!_

As she dealt again, the air seemed to feel dense for him. It was almost as if the very air around him seemed heavy, weighing him down. He looked up as she finished dealing. A sudden feeling of dread crept up his spine, making him shudder as beads of sweat began to form on his forehead. Grabbing his cards, he had two aces.

A perfect pair.

But as he watched, she picked up card after card until she had 5 in her hand. Laying them out in front of him, she smiled triumphantly.

"I win. 5 card streak takes the pot." She said, her arm outstretched to the person behind the desk "I'll be taking that whale."

Reluctantly and with a defeated sigh, he handed in his tickets and she took the toy.

"Hey." She said, getting his attention as he had been staring at the floor in defeat "Don't feel bad. It was awesome to have some competition for a change...Here"

She threw her tickets at him as they suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"As a consolation." She smiled, disappearing in a wisp of glowing green dust.

She reappeared outside of Sabaody Park, walking out into the bare landscape that surrounded it. Wondering what to do next, she looked around, storing the whale away as she seemed to be looking for something.

_I wonder which grove it was in. It's been a while since I watched the Sabaody Arc. Where is Shakey's Bar?_

She wracked her brain, trying to recreate the exact image of the location. When she was sure she had everything that she could remember, she gambled her teleportation. Landing in a disgruntled heap, she looked up as she found herself at the foot of a small flight of stairs. She read the sign above the door.

_'Shakey's Knockoff Bar'. Huh...guess I made it. Usually that never worked when I hadn't been to the location I was teleporting to before. I wonder if this will work if other people know where they're going before I teleport them._

It wasn't long before her thoughts were interrupted by a woman chucking out two large, muscular men, each barking their opposition to her treatment of them. She chucked them down the stairs, both of them landing at Rebecca's feet. They shot up fast at the sight of her illusion.

"Lookie what we have here. You lost little girl?" The first asked, licking his lips as he looked her up and down from behind her.

"Yeah, wanna hang out with us for a while?" The second asked, doing much the same as he looked her front up and down.

"Hey! Leave her alone and scram!" Shakey shouted from the top of the stairs.

"Thank you for the offer of help, but I have this under control ma'am." Rebecca said, curtly bowing before turning to the two men.

"Now then, which one of you likes magic tricks?" She said, a demented smile crossing her illusion as she cocked her head to the left. The two seemed unfazed but the look in their eyes said otherwise. Dropping her illusion, the two saw her true form and ran for the hills, each calling for their mothers.

"What a couple of wusses. I do apologise for my intrusion." Rebecca said, putting her illusion back on.

"It's no problem. Come inside and talk a while if you'd like. There's nobody around but me at the moment. My regular customer isn't in at the moment so you'll have the bar to yourself." She offered, turning her back to her and walking back inside, leaving the door open for her.

_Rayleigh..._


	54. Silver Kisses

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

_Rayleigh..._

She walked slowly up the stairs, taking one last look behind before walking through the doorway and went to close it behind her.

"Please, leave it open. It's a bit warm today. What can I get you?" Shakey asked, holding up a glass.

"Hmm...surprise me. As long as it's not alcoholic." She replied, shrugging as she was surprised by the question.

"Coming right up." Shakey replied. Rebecca stared out of the window as Shakey looked through the fridge. Pulling out several juice cartons and a vial with a clear liquid in it, she mixed them all up in a cocktail shaker and poured them out, topping up the glass with the clear liquid.

"Here ya go. One 'God knows what' on the house." She replied, pushing the glass towards Rebecca.

"What does it taste like?" She asked, looking at the burnt orange liquid that to her looked like thinned out pumpkin juice.

"Heck even I don't know. You asked me to surprise you with something non-alcoholic so I had to improvise."

"Hmm...well alright. Worth a shot." Rebecca replied. She took a short sip of the liquid, placing the glass down slowly.

"Any good?" Shakey asked. As if to answer, Rebecca soon consumed the rest.

"Just what I needed actually. I don't know what you put in it but it was awesome." She said, watching as Shakey took the glass and put it in the washing up sink further into the bar.

"So, what brings you this far out into the Groves?" Shakey asked, leaning on the bar as she looked at Rebecca curiously.

"Actually, me and two others came here to train and regroup. One of us had to meet back up with her captain since she had been on a leave of absence and the other kinda took off from her crew. They should be arriving in a couple of days anyways so it's no biggie."

"And what about you?" She asked.

"Me? Well I'm freelancing now. Ever since my crew got killed and my now former captain renounced his title, I am free to do as I please. To be honest, I am just keeping an eye on the other two so they don't do anything stupid."

"Wait, I thought you just said your crew was killed. How can your captain renounce his title if he's gone?" Shakey asked, a confused look on her face as she dried a glass.

"Long story short, he ate a devil fruit and he's now a skeleton...much like myself." Rebecca replied, looking at her right hand in thought.

"I had been meaning to ask you about that. What was that you showed those two guys back there to scare them so much?" Shakey asked.

"You ask a lot of questions lady." Rebecca said, frowning.

"I'm sorry. I'm just curious is all." She replied, smiling innocently.

"Curiosity killed the cat you know." Rebecca said, giving her an almost sideways warning glance.

"True." Shakey replied. An awkward silence spanning a few minutes passed after that before Rebecca broke the silence.

"I'll tell you anyways. It can do no harm." She replied, pausing to begin telling Shakey everything but then changing her mind as she came up with a faster explanation. "Actually, I think it's better if I just show you."

As soon as she had finished talking, her illusion disappeared and her staff appeared in her hand.

"And this is..." Shakey started.

"...My true form." Rebecca finished, leaning her staff against the bar.

"So this is who you really are." Shakey said, looking her up and down.

"Yea. What I just turned off was an illusion. It's what I looked like when I was alive about 50 years ago. Back when I was about 20 years old. Man...that makes me sound old." Rebecca said, sighing. "That reminds me, do you want anything for the drink?"

"On the house. You spilled some details about yourself, I think the drink's worth as much." Shakey replied, waving her hand in refusal to take money as she leant on the bar again.

"So, how long's your friend been missing?"

The sudden question shocked Shakey.

"How did you..." She started but was cut off.

"The worry is written all over your face. You miss the company." Rebecca said, smiling to herself since she remembered she had no skin to make faces with.

"Yeah." She replied sullenly, her mood taking a solemn turn.

"Plus his energy is all over this place." She added, picking up her staff and tapping it once on the ground. A burst of green energy illuminated where Rayleigh would have sat, a luminescent silhouette sat frozen in time.

"Rayleigh..." Shakey said to herself as she reached out to touch the illusion. It suddenly disappeared when she touched it.

"Don't worry. I know where he is. And he's just the man I want to see. He'll be back in a few days. Until then..." Rebecca said, making her way to the door "...wait for the Straw Hats."

Shakey came out from behind the bar, running up to Rebecca. Before she had a chance to catch her to stop her leaving, she vanished in a puff of purple smoke.

"Damnit." She said to herself as she got back to work, setting about making fresh ice.

(Meanwhile, on the Heart Pirates sub)

"Well, that was a good feast. Thanks Irwin." She said, leaving the rest of the crew to finish and clean up as she left nonchalantly. Before she made it even a few meters from the food hall, she began to feel weak. Propping herself with the wall as a support, she kept walking. Then her vision went wavy and her head felt light. She had just enough energy to shout for Law before she fainted.

_Damnit. Not again._

Law came running at the distress in Rachael's voice. Coming into the food hall corridor, he saw Rachael unconscious on the floor, her face red and sweaty as she lay unmoving and breathing heavy.

"What happened?!" He asked the crew members gathered around her.

"We dunno. She looked a bit peaky but we thought she was just hungry. She ate enough to fill a small house. Then when she left the food hall, she suddenly collapsed." Said a rather large and muscular man in a deep, almost grunt-like voice.

Reaching down to feel her head, Law retracted his hand from the high fever Rachael had.

"I'll get her to the infirmary. The rest of you, back to your duties." Law said. Picking her up bridal style, he raced to the infirmary. Taking a quick blood sample, he examined her cells. To his surprise, they were regenerating at an abnormally fast rate before they died from being separated from Rachael's body for so long. For the first time in his life, he was stumped as to what to do next.

Examining the still live cells, he realised the blood itself was high in plasma based cells as well as platelets (both cells which are crucial to body repair). Looking over at Rachael, he began thinking hard about what to do next.

_I know she mentioned that she's now a devil fruit user. Repairing that much damage would be beyond a normal human body's functionality, but her body is different because it has the ability to heal faster. That must mean her body has to consume energy much faster than a normal human to keep up with the healing process. Which means..._

Law stood up abruptly. Running into the ER, he opened the shelf storage unit. Taking out a Glucose drip, he grabbed a line and cannula. Putting it all together fast, he ran back into the infirmary. Cleaning her arm, he inserted the drip and let it start working. Hooking up a heart monitor, he could only watch as her heart rate remained steady, unchanging and not comforting Law's mind as he waited in an armchair that sat in a corner of the room near the door.

_Is there even a way to determine if she's getting better?_

He heard someone stir but when he looked up, it wasn't Rachael who had woken up, but Timi. She said nothing as she frowned in worry at Rachael. She tried to get up but in doing so, ended up hurting more.

"You shouldn't move yet." Law said, breaking the silence as he held his hand up in warning.

"I can do whatever I want to do." Timi said, still angry at Law as she tried again, this time proving successful as she swung her legs over the side of the bed and plonked herself down onto the cold floor. "Besides, I hate hospitals remember."

She pulled out her IV, pressing the area as she hunted for gauze. Finding a bag, she put one on, looking herself over as she stood in one of Bepo's baggy shirts. Looking underneath at her chest, she just nodded, making her way to the door.

"And where do you think you're going?" Law asked, being wary of her currently short patience.

"To a comfier bed." She said, giving Rachael one last glance before heading out in the direction of Rachael's room.

Law smirked to himself at her sudden change in attitude but looked back at Rachael in worry. Sitting back down again, he let his eyes wonder to each of her vitals.

_Her heartbeat is normal, if not a little high and her breathing has stabilised a bit. I don't understand her devil fruit yet so I guess it's improv from here on._

(Meanwhile, with Timi)

"What an asshole. First he cuts me up, then he gives me attitude when I want to get out of the infirmary which he put me into in the first place." She said to herself. As she came to Rachael's room, she paused before opening the door.

_Why do I even bother with him?_

She turned around and headed back the way she came. She looked to see if anyone was around since it was oddly quiet around the sub. As she turned the corner to the infirmary, Law came face-to-face with her. With a swift motion, he crashed his lips onto hers.

Though their lips locked, neither of them pulled away. Timi used Law's body to stabilise herself but she didn't let go of him for a good few minutes. It wasn't until Law stopped and pulled away that Timi realised how much she had forgotten to breathe and how much she had enjoyed it.

"I'm...um...gonna...go...see Rachael." She said, leaving him speechless as he left her to her own devices.

She blushed deeply.

_Well, that was...entertaining? Exhilarating? Extraordinary? All of the above. Just...wow...Wait, what am I thinking?!_

She entered the infirmary beet red, holding her face in embarrassment as she looked in the mirror that hung on the wall in the corner over a small sink. She turned to Rachael, looking her up and down as she read her vitals monitor. Looking down, she touched Rachael's right hand, laying her own on top of it.

_It was all too much for you, huh?_


	55. Coffee, tuna and the unexpected?

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

_It was all too much for you, huh?_

A day later, around 10am, Rachael awoke to the bitter smell of coffee. Opening her eyes, Law was standing over her, sipping as he checked her vitals.

"Morning sunshine." He said, smirking at her in a playful kind of way.

"Creepy." Was all she replied. It was only after saying that one word that she realised her throat felt dry and her muscles felt weak.

"Don't try to move much yet." He ordered, the seriousness evident in his eyes.

_What happened to me to make Law so worried?_

As Timi passed the door with her own coffee, their eyes met. As they both smiled, Timi came in. Getting real close to Rachael, she flicked her forehead hard.

"Ow!" She cried, holding her head in pain.

"Don't scare me like that again!" She shouted back, surprising Rachael before she walked out briskly, leaving Law and her alone.

"Honestly..." She said to herself.

"She didn't sleep well last night. She was worried about you. I found her sleeping in the food hall." Law said as he finished looking at her signatures and sat down in the armchair, sipping at his coffee again.

She looked up as she noticed her blue scarf hanging off the top side of the bed.

"It wasn't exactly my choice, ya know. I remember feeling a little dizzy when I was in the mess hall. I thought it was just severe dehydration. But even after I had eaten and drank plenty, I felt worse so I tried to make it to my room to sleep, but then my legs gave. I called out to you but I can't remember feeling myself hit the floor. I dunno what-"

" Just work on getting better." Law cut in, giving her a stern but slightly worried look before walking out.

Going back to sleep, she awoke again around noon. As she was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she saw Penguin and Shachi pass the doorway.

"Hey guys." She whispered, getting their attention as she beckoned them in.

"Hey sis! How ya doin'?" Penguin asked loudly.

"Shh! Keep it down." She said, putting a finger on her lips.

"Oh?" Shachi asked in a hushed voice, confused.

"I have a favour to ask you guys. And Law's not gonna like it." She said, looking in the direction of Law's room through the metal walls that separated them.

"What is it, sis?" They both asked together.

"I need you both to gather some stuff for me from around the sub. I need a fresh change of clothes and some shoes from my room. Get me my messenger bag too and a few snacks from the kitchen, then meet me back here.

"What are you going to do?" Penguin asked.

"I'm breaking out. I have something I need to do. Besides, I don't have much time left. I have to get out of here to meet someone." She said calmly, the urgency in her eyes keeping their attention focused.

"We'll get what you need sis." Shachi said.

"You can count on us." Penguin added as they both saluted her.

"And guys...don't let anyone know what you're doing. Hide the stuff in your jumpsuits if you have to but Law cannot know what I am about to do, under ANY circumstances." She added.

"RIGHT!" They both shouted before she put her finger on her lips again to signal their silence before they hurried away to find her clothes.

It was a good half hour before they returned, fishing her belongings from their jumpsuits.

"Turn around please. I need to change." She said, before adding "If either of you turn around, I will end you personally.

For once, they did as they were told, turning around as they both blushed deeply. It didn't take her longer than 5 minutes to change as she dumped her clothes down the laundry chute that lead to the cleaning room near the bottom of the sub. She now stood in a pair of baggy khaki trousers that sat on her hips, tucked into a pair of short black army boots. She wore a white short sleeved tee and a black trench coat.

"Thanks guys. I owe you one." She said, tying the blue scarf around where her trousers met her top, leaving it to trail down her right side. "Keep Law occupied for me and..." before she could finish, Timi was in the doorway.

"Oh crap."

"Relax would ya. I'm not gonna grass you up to Law. Besides, I want in on this." She said, a wicked and creepy smile crossing her face.

"Please don't do that." She said as she seemed to pass over the idea and then paused in the doorway "Wait..."

Turning to Timi, she grinned a creepy grin.

"I have a perfect idea. I don't need Shachi and Penguin to distract Law."

"Whyyyyyyyy are you looking at me like that?" Timi asked, sweating a little as she worried about what was going on in Rachael's head.

"You, Law, bedroom, sexy time, now." She said, pointing down the hallway as she deadpanned.

"No way." Timi replied, her arms crossed as she didn't look impressed.

"Why not? He's interested and you're playing hard to get. Just go make out with him already." Rachael replied, going behind Timi as she attempted to push her out the door.

"No!" She shouted back, putting her arms either side of the doorway so she wouldn't be shoved out into the corridor.

"What's all this noise about?" Law's voice came from down the corridor.

Grabbing her bag, Rachael legged it down the corridor and checked the window to see that the sub had surfaced. The sunlight beckoned her outside as she jumped the railing and onto the shore.

"The hell?! Where'd she go?!" Law shouted at the three troublemakers.

"Welp, we leave this in your capable hands. Bye Timi!" Shachi and Penguin said together as they also legged it, leaving Law and Timi alone.

"Now then, where did I leave off?" Law said, getting real close to Timi as he seemed to loom over her, a hand on her chin as he attempted to come in for a fast and hard kiss. Just as he was about to crash down on Timi's lips, she slid under the arm he had propped against the wall, leaving him to slam his face into the wall. She began to run, looking for a room to hide in. Opening a door to a dark and unlit room, she darted inside, leaving the door ajar in her rush to hide in what she thought was a closet.

Out in the corridor, Law saw his door ajar.

_Gotcha now. I never leave my bedroom door open._

He grinned to himself as he seemed to be almost entertained by the small chase of cat and mouse.

Timi steadied her breathing and quietened it so he wouldn't hear, but it proved useless as the door to the closet shot open, revealing a smirking Law.

"What were you doing in my closet? Are you that keen to get into my pants?" He asked, a low murmur of a laugh building in his chest.

"Oh shut it." She said, giving him the evils as she got out of the closet and went to make for the door. Suddenly, she felt Law grab her wrist from behind, pulling her back as he wound his other arm around her waist. She felt her cheeks warm as she blushed.

"Please get o-" She began but Law cut her off.

"I won't let you go that easy." He said in a low voice, gently kissing down her neck as he felt a shiver run up her spine.

(Meanwhile, with Rachael)

She panted heavily as she stopped to catch her breath. The sub was out of eyeshot and she had run far enough that she could no longer hear the shouting of the crew. Hearing a loud metal bang and a loud splashing of water, she knew the sub had submerged again.

_Welp, I'm on my own again. Now to find that asshole of a captain and his backstabbing friend._

Walking into the Groves that had the town and the tourist stalls in, she looked around for Kidd and Killer but no matter where she looked, even down the back alleys, she found no trace of either of them or any of their crew.

"Welp, guess it's back to the shore line for a perimeter check. They have to have their ship docked somewhere." She said to herself. As she turned and swiftly exited the town, a puff of purple smoke suddenly appeared in front of her. Rebecca's true form stood there as the smoke disappeared.

"You still have something of mine." Rachael said, getting straight to the point.

"Well hello to you too." Rebecca replied, holding out her hand as she summoned the daggers that Rachael had thrown at her earlier in the week.

"Thanks. I am off to Kidd's ship. Wanna come?" She asked.

"No thanks. I am going to train on the outskirts for the rest of today until the Straw Hats arrive tomorrow. Then things will really get interesting." Rebecca looked off into nowhere, thinking ahead of time to the battle to come.

"Amen to that. Everything's gonna go to shit around here." Rachael replied, thinking along the same lines as her tone seemed to change to one of almost sadness.

"I'll be heading to the Auction House after I have met up with the Straw Hats. Speaking of, where is that scatter brain of a friend of ours?" Rebecca asked, snapping back as she looked Rachael dead in the eye.

"With the Heart Pirates, probably making out with Law by now." She replied nonchalantly

"Oh. Is that all?"

"I know right."

The awkward silence that followed between them seemed to make the air uneasy as they both began to fidget as they stared at the ground.

"You should go." Rebecca said as she turned to leave.

"Right. I have to go find Kidd. That asshole...what a pain in the ass." She replied. After hearing no response, she looked up to saw that Rebecca had disappeared.

"Well ok then. Guess I'm on my lonesome again."

As she idly walked through the barren groves, the ruins of old moss covered buildings dotted here and there every so often, she didn't realise how exhausted she was until she stopped to sit down at the base of one of the giant mangrove trees. She sat with her back against the root as she reached into her back and pulled out a round of tuna and cucumber sandwiches, smiling at her luck.

_Oh guys, you didn't have to._

Pulling off the cling film, she smelt the vinegar as she dug into the soft white bread.

_So good. I'm still not used to my new abilities. They are very draining and it still catches me out how exhausted I become. It's like I have to eat as much as Luffy just to stay awake and have the energy to everyday tasks. Guess I'll get used to it in time._

Looking into her bag, she saw that Shachi and Penguin had packed her a few chocolate bars, a small-ish flask of hot fruit tea, some grapes as well as a few more sandwiches, each filled with something different. Looking each one over, she found jam, ham and cheese and chocolate spread, which she smirked at since she knew how much Shachi and Penguin knew she liked chocolate. Downing them all, she finally felt full.

_It only took an entire feast, some rest and a few rounds of sandwiches to fill me up. Jeez, I am turning into a monster more and more every day._

Taking out the flask, she downed the contents. Placing the cap back on and stashing it away, she suddenly felt sleepy. Putting the bag on the ground, she shifted her body so she could look up at the sunlight flittering in through the leaves. It wasn't long before she drifted off.

Loud voices could be heard in the distance but as they got closer to her, they seemed to quieten down. Looking down at her, the man casting the large shadow sat down next to her, his red hair waving naturally in the breeze.

The other man looked at him, his apparent gasp of surprise giving away that he was frowning under the mask that covered his face.

"Go deal with that yourself Killer. You don't need me to hold your hand!" Kidd ordered, waving him away as Rachael shifted in her sleep.


	56. Crappy surprises

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"Go deal with that yourself Killer. You don't need me to hold your hand!" Kidd ordered, waving him away as Rachael shifted in her sleep.

...

Two hours later, Rachael groaned as she awoke. Rubbing her eyes, she suddenly frowned.

_Why does the tree trunk behind me feel oddly warm?_

Not turning to look, she felt up what she thought was a tree trunk and instead found a kneecap and a thigh. A long finger began to poke her cheek.

She shot up, hands on her hips as she took in the sight of him, oddly relaxed at the sight of the highest bountied rookie.

"Well hello to you too. Anything else to add?" He said sarcastically as he let her go, grinning sickly as they eyed each other up and down.

"Well there's a long list. Who knows, if I start now, I might reach the end by noon tomorrow." She said, smirking at him as his face became displeased, the sick smile soon disappearing to be replaced with anger.

"Aww, what's the matter? Did I 'poke' a nerve?" She replied, pulling down her eyelid as she poked her tongue out, a low laugh escaping her.

"Are you crazy, lady?" He asked, a little confused since no one had ever argued back to him before.

"More than likely. And who're you calling a lady? I may be a female by but I sure as hell don't act like one." She argued back, now crossing her arms with attitude.

"So what are you then? A freak of nature?" He said, curiosity evident in his voice but anger still spread across his face.

"Well I would say yes, but we've both eaten devil fruits so you're one to talk." She replied, bending down to pick up her bag. "Besides, you're more of a freaky assed sadist than I am. Not to mention that backstabber of a first mate."

_Well at least this conversation lasted longer than I thought it would._

"Who you callin' freaky assed, bitch?!" Kidd snapped, a vein popping in his forehead.

"**You** stupid, are you deaf?" she taunted him further.

_Snap again, I dare ya._

"Oh! That is it!" He shouted at her, raising his hand into the air.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, out of nowhere, she heard the clank of metal getting louder. Swords, guns, cannons all seemed to float in the air as they came out of his ship, coming together to form a huge metal fist around Kidd's left arm.

"Ah..." Was all she could say as she knew what was coming.

" 'Ah' is right. If all my stabbing didn't kill you before, try this on for size!" He shouted, letting loose the colossal congregation of metal.

It hit her entire body, sending her flying into the air.

_My turn..._

Turning midair as she saw her own blood floating around her, the fast action making her whole body twitch in pain, she pulled out her daggers, aiming for the blind spot under his arm. She let loose one and then the other, not throwing both in case Kidd saw them.

Spotting the first, he waved his metal hand to swat it away like a fly. The second took him slightly by surprise but focusing on it, he moved his right hand as if to catch it. It stopped right before it hit him. She saw a buzz of electricity emit from his hand.

"Repel!" He shouted as the knife seemed to reverse in direction, leaving her unable to dodge in midair. It hit an artery on the right side of her abdomen. Grimacing in pain, she pulled it out, making the blood splurge everywhere.

Her devil fruit began to kick in as she put pressure on the wound, sealing it up as the excess blood stained her clothes scarlet.

"Damn. And I just got changed too." She said, landing awkwardly.

"Is that really the best you got?" Kidd yelled, taunting her as he opened his arms, a sign of a free invitation to try again. She rushed in without thinking, her dagger ready. Only this time, Kidd had another attack in mind. He moved his hand made of metal in front of him.

"Repel!" He shouted.

She had swords, bullets and a number of other weapons hurtling towards her, but she didn't stop. She managed to dodge a few swords as they were inches from her face but a few stray bullets hit her legs, immobilising her lower body and slicing at her arms and face. Then she stopped.

_It may be from my injuries, but from what I did just now, the more I move, the more I hit Kidd's projectiles. My legs are shot anyway. Even if they heal over, I won't be moving much in the next few hours._

The weapons continued to slice at her. With her attention focused on them, she didn't realise a cannonball was amongst them until it hit her square in the stomach, knocking her a significant distance out of Kidd's attack range.

Pushing herself up, she spat blood, looking at Kidd like he was a pain her ass.

"Aww, whatsa matter? Ya had enough?" He taunted.

"Yeah. Fuck this shit, I'm out." She said, holding up her hands.

"You're not the one to decide that!" He shouted, getting ready to rush in with an attack with his knife.

"That's enough Kidd!" A deep voice came from behind Rachael. They both stopped and turned to see Killer staring at them from beneath his mask. "Haven't you hurt her enough? She's barely standing as it is."

Kidd looked back at Rachael. She swayed as she tried to remain standing, her ocean blue eyes focused on Kidd's amber orbs before she couldn't stay up anymore, collapsing in a bloody heap on the soft grass.

"Take this pile of shit to the ship. And tell me when she wakes up!"

...

Rachael awoke in a dark, cabin-like room with an IV sticking out of her arm. The only light seemed to come in from below the door to the corridor outside as she felt around for something to see with. She soon stopped as she felt several other cables across her body pull taught. Laying back down, she could only wait as her eyes adjusted to the dark. Looking around, she could make out a small table of surgeons tools, another bed and a series of various organs in jars, lining the walls along crude-looking and blood stained shelves. Shivers ran up and down her spine as her breathing became rapid.

_This place is giving me the serious creeps. I have to get out of here._

A large hand on her shoulder scared her as she seemed to jump out of her skin, falling off the other side of the bed in the process as she hit her head on the cold, hard floor.

"Argh! Son of a bitch!"

"Woah! Calm it would ya. I only came to check on ya." Came a low voice.

Her eyes shot open as she held her pulsating head, her left leg still hanging off the bed. A man with long light blue and shaggy hair stood over her. He had sunken dark eyes, with stitch marks covering his mouth line, chin and the high points of his cheek bones. Thorn tattoos covered his arms, shoulders and neck and a dark blue corset, held together with red string, covered the majority of his torso.

_Heat?_

He offered his hand to help her up. Taking it hesitantly, she shakily got to her feet. Looking down she was in a very baggy dark grey shirt with a pair of faded blue shorts, just peeking out from underneath the shirt.

"Where are my clothes?" She asked patiently as she hid her annoyance at waking up in god-knows-who's clothes.

"Where else? They're in the wash. They were pretty bloody and battered up by the time Killer brought you in." Wire replied, walking over to a cabinet. He took out and began unwrapping a set of bandages. "If you could sit down, your bandages need changing."

She looked at him in distaste as she held her shoulders protectively.

"They don't need changing." She argued back.

"Don't be stupid! Your wounds will get infected otherwise!" He said sternly, giving her a hard and unmoving look.

"Grr...fine. But I'm telling you, they won't need changing." She said, taking off her shirt hesitantly, stopping just before her boobs became visible. "You better not ogle or I will kick you so hard that you'll be pissing out your anus." She said, giving him the evils.

"I've already seen 'em. I was the one who fixed you up." He replied nonchalantly as she sat on the bed again. He took out her IV and dressed it so it wouldn't bleed.

Fully removing her shirt, he began to unwrap the bandages. She made no move to hiss in pain or hold parts of her body that hurt. As the bandages began to unravel from her, the frown on Heat's face got sterner, more confused as he looked at where the deep lacerations had been once before.

"Frowns don't suit your face you know." She said, looking at him as he looked her injured upper body up and down in confusion.

"What ARE you?!" He asked, his voice breaking a little as he pointed to the large congregation of scars across her stomach, surrounded by severe bruising caused by the hidden cannonball.

"Oh this? I didn't die because I ate a devil fruit. Increases my regeneration rate. It doesn't heal me instantly, but it heals lacerations and fatal bruising quick enough for me to not bite the dust."

"Well that explains a lot." He replied, calming down a little.

"The side effects are a pain though. My friend theorised that if I took too much damage, my body would continue to sap my energy until I die. I have to be careful how much I sleep and recover. I'm constantly on edge because of it now." She replied, grabbing for her shirt again.

"Well at least let me bind them again. Who knows if they might reopen." He said, beginning to wrap the bandages around her stomach as she reluctantly sighed. As she spaced out, her body suddenly felt weak. She swayed on her feet and looked to fall when Heat caught her.

"You're still recovering. Maybe you should rest more." Heat said, sitting her down on the bed again as he finished wrapping her injuries.

"Didn't you hear what I said earlier? I have to watch how much I rest. I may not wake up again." She finished, pulling on her shirt as she headed for the door. "Besides, I don't want to give redhead the satisfaction."

Opening the door, Killer stood staring at her through his mask in the hallway.

"Finally. Took you long enough." He said bluntly.

"If you were waiting so long, you could have been doing something else ya know. Masterbating wouldn't have been out of the question." She said, making a move to pass him.

He slammed his hand hard against the wall, stopping her before she could head towards what she thought was the way back to the main deck.

"You're here as our 'guest', so let me be the one to show you around. Besides, that way is the bunks. **You** don't want through there lookinglike that." Killer warned. Looking down at herself again, she saw where he was going with his argument and folded her arms.

"Then lead the way, oh exultant one." She replied, mocking him.

He paused a moment before leading her the other way.

It was a short while before Killer came to a door. Opening it, he walked into what looked like a small storage room. Reaching to the second to top shelf, he pulled down Rachael's bag. Handing it to her, she pulled out a fresh set of her clothes from within its many separated layers.

"There's a room next door if you want to change." Killer suggested, gesturing with his thumb down the corridor.

"Here's fine, I won't take long." She replied closing the door.

She swiftly undressed. Looking at what Shaci and Penguin had packed, she smiled.

_Finally, they get that I won't wear frilly stuff and girly crap._

Pulling on a fresh pair of knickers and a black pair of jeans, she rummaged around in her bag for a shirt. After several frustrated moments of tipping her bags contents out, she found no extra shirt.

_Guess I'm stuck with this one for now._

She eyed the dark grey shirt in disgust before slipping into it again. Opening the door, she saw Killer talking to Heat, but the two soon ended their conversation as Heat walked off. Killer turned to hear Rachael close the door behind her.

"Dinner's ready."


	57. Dinner and a show

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"Dinner's ready."

Killer began to walk off, leaving her no choice but to follow. As they turned a corner, a mixture of smells wafted up her nose. The smell made her stomach growl in response, making her curse at her body's betrayal.

_I'm not in the mood to share food with Kidd and his crew, but I guess it can't be helped. Didn't think that hothead of a captain would even treat my injuries, let alone feed me. Guess I should just go with it._

"We're here." Killer said, snapping her out of her thoughts as he gestured for her to enter first. As she turned to enter the food hall, her eyes met almost immediately with Kidd's. She didn't stop walking as she entered, sitting down in the last available space, which was next to him since Killer had deliberately stolen the seat opposite. She didn't say a word as she held his gaze, sitting down on the hard wooden bench.

"Like my shirt that much, huh?" Kidd asked, breaking the ice as he looked down at her chest before taking a long swig of sake.

She looked down at the baggy piece of clothing.

"I had no other shirts with me. This is all I got for the moment." She said, a little rose coming to her cheeks in embarrassment.

Kidd smirked as he went to take another gulp of sake. Reaching behind him, she lightly hit the middle of his back, making him choke on his sake, coughing it up as she looked away innocently.

"Hey bitch! You wanna start somethin'?" He growled at her.

"Maybe." She replied half assed, leaning on her arm as she watched the others eat, her stomach growling louder.

Killer brought several large plates to their table from the kitchen, each filled with various meats, vegetables and sea foods. Laying them down, she let Kidd and Killer take their fill before hesitantly going for her portion.

"May I?" She asked politely.

"Of course. We're not exactly starving you." Killer said, continuing "Besides, I persuaded Kidd to treat you more as our guest than as a prisoner. If it weren't for me, you'd be in the brig starving to death."

"Thank you?" She finished before awkwardly digging into her food. It wasn't until the food touched her lips that she realised how truly hungry she was. She consumed everything she could see relentlessly, not realising the surprised looks on everyone's faces until she looked up from her food.

They looked at her in astonishment, gaping jaws wide open, their faces pale like they had seen a ghost.

"What?" She asked, looking at everyone and then at Killer and Kidd. "I was hungry."

Suddenly, the crew burst out laughing.

"Bwahaha! You sure got a weird one Cap!" Came the cook's voice from the kitchen door. He had been watching the entire time to see her reaction to his food.

"Shut up Jason!" Kidd growled back. He looked back at Rachael, but found she had snuck away to talk to Jason.

"Yo! Thanks for the food. It was pretty good! Probably not the best I've ever eaten, but it's pretty up there man. Cheers." She reached out her hand and he hesitantly took it.

"I honestly don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, but I'll roll." He said, frowning as he gave her small hand a gentle shake.

"Hey Jason! Trying to make a pass are you?" Killer teased.

"Hell no!" He shouted back.

"Shame..." She said, walking back up to Kidd and Killer.

"Why?" He asked, looking at her wierdly.

"...you're sweet." She finished, sitting down next to Kidd again.

Jason blushed deeply, retreating behind the kitchen door to hide his embarrassment as the entire food hall erupted into laughter.

Or so it seemed...

Kidd's face had turned bright red, catching Heat's attention.

"Captain, are you feeling OK?" He asked, getting up to walk over to him. Getting up, Kidd stormed out, his face a cross between anger and what Rachael thought was a hint of jealousy.

_Urrrrrr...the fuck?_

As everyone left the food hall, Rachael pulled Killer to one side.

"What the fuck was that about? First he's angry, then he's jealous! What's Kidd's deal?" She asked, looking him dead in the eyes through the holes in his mask, letting him know she was deadly serious.

"You really have no idea?" He asked.

"About?" She replied, still unsure where he was going with his question.

Killer face palmed.

"Just go talk to him. It'd be better to hear it from him than from me." He finished, walking out of the food hall, leaving her alone.

She stared at the kitchen door thinking for a moment, then went to it and knocked.

"Come on in." Jason called from the far side of the kitchen.

She gently pushed the door open, being careful not to let it bang on the wall behind it.

"Hey. It's just me. Can I talk to you for a sec?" She asked hesitantly, unsure whether he was the right person to ask as she edged into the kitchen.

"Oh hey. I was just clearing up." He said, looking up from a large sink that was filling up with soapy water.

"I'll lend you a hand." She replied, grabbing a towel as he cleaned.

"You don't have to. You're our guest." He replied, looking at her questioningly.

"I can't sit still for long. I need to preoccupy myself or I get bored real quick." She replied, drying up the various kitchen pieces quicker than he could wash them, each sparkling with a clean shine as she left them on a dry surface for him to put away.

"Thanks for the help, I guess." He said, draining the sink as he went to put the dry items away.

"No problem. I was going to ask you a small question."

"And that is?"

"I don't suppose Kidd drinks anything after food does he? Like coffee or honey and lemon?"

"Well he does have a coffee if he's in a bad mood."

"Would you mind if I took him one? I mean he looked kinda pissed when he left and I don't exactly want him to hate me. At least not more than he already does. To be honest, I'm still confused as to why he brought me onboard when he beat me up in the first place."

"You mean you don't know?" Heasked.

"Should I know?"

"Whatever. I'll show you how he likes his coffee and you can take it to him. After that, you're on your own." He finished, walking over to a cupboard and pulling out the coffee. He grabbed one of the clean cups that he was about to put away and began to boil the kettle, getting the milk out of the fridge.

She watched him as he worked, and waited. Her face went from curious to bored within seconds, watching the kettle as it seemed to take forever to boil. It seemed like a miracle to her by the time he poured the hot water onto the instant grains and stirred in the cold white liquid. He offered the mug to her.

"Thanks. I appreciate this." She said, nodding her head in thanks.

"It's Kidd you have to talk to, not me. You have a big challenge to deal with." He replied, holding the door open for her to leave.

"Let's hope I'm up to it. Otherwise, I'll probably die from my wounds due to excessive exposure to Kidd. It'll be in the history books of medicine. Non-existent lord, help me." And with another thankful nod walked out of the food hall.

Almost immediately, she bumped into Killer, almost spilling the coffee.

"Watch it!" She warned, holding the mug up to avoid spilling it down herself, not realising who she bumped into.

"Sorry." He apologised, moving out of the way for her to pass.

"Oh! Killer. Just the man I was looking for. Where's Kidd right now?"

"He's in his bedroom. Is that for him?" He asked, pointing to the mug, his voice suggesting a slight sense of curiosity.

"Yes. Which way?" She asked almost hurriedly, not wanting the coffee to go cold.

Killer pointed behind her "Take two rights, then a left. It's the red door." He replied.

"Thanks man. I owe you and Jason one." She replied, walking off to find Kidd's door.

It wasn't long before she found a blood red door. The only one in the entire corridor to have various pieces of metal sticking out at odd angles. The doorknob and lock looked like a series of compressed metal objects all crushed into one whole and then shoved into the door's sturdy build.

_In a way, it's almost crude._

She knocked on the door, listening for a response but got none. Knocking again, there was still no response. She turned the unique doorknob, entering slowly and quietly. She heard the sound of a door open, accompanied by the smell of moisture. Turning around, she regretted it almost immediately.

Standing in the doorway to his en-suite shower room, he wore nothing but a towel, his eyes closed as he tapped the water out of his ears. His red hair was sodden and hung in messy bunches around his face as it dripped onto the varnished floor.

Their eyes met, both of them freezing at the sight of the other.

She turned to leave, placing the coffee gently on a table before she reached for the door. She stopped short as a large hand wrapped itself around her arm, quickly jolting it so she turned to face him whilst another hand wound its way around her waist.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Kidd almost whispered in her ear.

"I'm leaving. You're in a towel." She replied nonchalantly, looking at nothing but his face since he was so close.

"And that scares you?" He purred, holding her tighter.

"No..." She replied, trying to hide the fact she was lightly blushing. "I just came to give you coffee. Now will you please let go?"

He let go of her arm, only to wind it over his other hand around her waist. Her hands now free, she tried to push him away, wriggling in discomfort.

He snuck a small tender kiss onto her neck, sending a shiver up her spine.

She blushed against her will, slapping Kidd across the face.

"I'll have none of that, thank you very much!" She shouted into his face, flustered as she blushed deeper.

"Whatsa matter? You not used to it?" He purred again, moving his hand up to her back and pulling her closer.

"No, just...grrr. Let me go!" She growled at him, now focusing all her strength to push his arms away.

Kidd moved fast, slamming his lips against hers, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth. She made to move away but he stopped her, his tongue and lips seemingly keeping her own mouth prisoner as she couldn't escape his powerful jaws.

Her arms flew out against the door, her nails digging in as her short wavy hair stood on end. After one last battle of tongues within her mouth, he pulled away, leaving her gasping for breath and speechless.

"How 'bout now?" He asked, looking at her like he was proud of his accomplishment.

"Ummm..."


	58. How? What?

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"Ummm..."

...

"Heh, you're just too easy. I thought you'd at least fight back but you seemed to enjoy that more than you hated it."

"Well..." She blushed "...you didn't exactly give me much room to complain."

"Just get out. If you're that easy, you're not worth my time." He said, giving her some space.

"Alright, fine. Enjoy your coffee... fuckin' egotistic prat!" She yelled in his face before swinging the door open with such force that it banged the wall. As she walked down the hallway, she saw Killer.

"Have fun in there?" He asked, a mild hint of humour in his voice.

"Don't patronize me!" She yelled, not even looking up at him as she stormed past, her face a picture of intense anger as the pink in her cheeks slowly began to fade.

Killer walked into Kidd's doorway, leaning on the frame as the redhead dried his hair.

"Well that went better than I'd imagined." He started, watching as Kidd removed the towel covering his privates as he reached for a pair of boxers that lay on the bed.

"She's not my type Killer." Kidd replied, his back turned to his first mate as he slipped on a pair of lizard-print trousers, the blotches of yellow on them separated by only small lines of black. Red tassels dangled from the bottom of them as a light blue cloth was wrapped around his waist, a belt fastened over it for added effect.

"And yet you snogged her, isn't that at least a little credit to her? She likes you." He replied.

_Why am I taking her side here?_

Kidd gave him a questioning look "Are you saying I should try to make a pass at the woman? That's just too far. First she's stupid enough to attempt to assault me and then she has the balls to try and leave in middle of a fight like it's not her business."

"And how many other people have had the balls to try that with you AND live to tell about it?" Killer replied, crossing his arms as he stared at Kidd through his mask intently.

"None."

"I'm not saying you should make a pass at her. Just let it flow." Killer added, turning to leave "And don't be a complete dick if you can help it."

"What d'you say?!" Kidd shouted at his first mate, hearing Killer laughing as he walked briskly away from Kidd's room.

Slipping on his black knife strap, he was about to reach for his spiked fluffy long coat when a whiff of coffee wafted up his nose. He turned to see the steaming cup still sitting on the small table. He smirked to himself, grabbing his coat and slipping it loosely onto his shoulders.

"Smart girl." He said to himself as he picked up the cup of bitter brown liquid, downing the contents before strolling out the door and onto the main deck.

With the exception of Rachael, the entire deck was deserted. Lights illuminated the sea on the sides of the ship as the crew all went to their bunks for the night. The stars shone clearly with no clouds in the sky as she hopelessly trained with her daggers. Using his powers, he drew a sword to him from below deck. He took off his coat, perching it on the railing of the ship. Sneaking his way behind her, he aimed for the back of her head, putting full force into the swing.

Seeing a large shadow behind her with what looked like a weapon in the air, she brought up the daggers to block the strike. She soon buckled under the strength of Kidd's blow, shifting her daggers to redirect his swipe instead of blocking it head on, the sound of a dull slice as the sword hit the deck ringing through the air between them.

"You really are hopeless at training on your own." He said, pulling out the sword as he got close to Rachael.

"Thanks for being brutally honest." She replied, giving him a cocky half smile.

"Defend yourself!" He warned, suddenly lunging at her.

She moved out of the way as the sword swung millimetres from her face, her shocked eyes reflected in its flawless shining surface.

"The fuck are you doing?!" She shouted at him, jumping back out of his striking distance.

"Training your sorry ass! Stop asking questions!" He said, going in for another swing.

"Shit me!" She shouted to herself as Kidd got faster and faster. She barely managed to redirect his swings before he got too fast and landed the blade through her stomach.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! No matter how many times I get impaled, it hurts just the same even though I am literally a walking mass of scar tissue. Ow!" She winced hard, her face contorted with pain.

"Then get better! Stop bitching about it!" He shouted in her face, pulling the sword out as she gasped for breath.

"What's going on up here?" Killers voice shouted as he came up from below deck, seeing the sword dripping with blood. "Am I interrupting?"

"Nope. Kidd's just trying to kill me is all. Your average day on this ship I suppose?" She replied, her breathing normalising.

"I'm not gonna kill you. At least not yet. I want to see how fast you can really move!" He said, a wide sadistic grin on his face as he waved Killer over.

"Have fun you two!" He said, leaving Killer to finish his work as he went to pick up his jacket.

Killer started up his blades, the whirring putting Rachael on edge as the sound sent shivers up her spine.

"You better be ready for this!" He said, leaping to make up the distance between them.

"Believe me, I don't exactly have a choice in the matter!" She said, jumping to flip over the first blade. The second came in to try and hit her as she regained her footing. Using the daggers, she latched onto the inside of the blade, using the sudden stop in momentum to aim a kick at Killer's head.

It collided, but he hardly moved.

"Is that the hardest you can hit?! You fight like a girl!"

_Ooooooooh! He went there._

Her face changed from one of fear and adrenaline to one of supreme focus as Killer grabbed her leg, slamming her into the deck.

She moved fast.

Sheathing her daggers, she rushed in under his left blade. Squeezing her hand into a tight fist, her knuckles shining white as her arm muscles tensed, she jumped, aiming under Killer's chin with an elbow strike. Not expecting the sudden move, he struggled to block in time, just bringing up his arms in time to shield himself with his blades, slicing Rachael's right elbow.

_It doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt!_

She came in for another shot at him, this time aiming below the belt.

_This is for the gender insult you son of a bitch._

She aimed a punch at his sternum, making him believe she would hit him square in the chest. Bringing up his blades to slice her neck, she pulled back her hand, sliding her leg forward to slip under him. Pulling back her other arm, she aimed directly for his crotch.

_Eat this!_

Her hand formed a small arch, her thumb pulled back as she released a strong palm strike to his balls. Immediately, Killer stopped. His breathing hitched as he reached for his balls in pain, leaning on one of his blades to keep himself upright.

As Rachael finished sliding under him, her face relaxed, shaking her head in confusion as Kidd's jaw dropped. She felt the sting in her elbow and stomach and laid down, catching her breath.

"Break?" She asked Killer between heavy breaths.

"B-break." He stammered, clinging to his genitals like it was the end of his world.

She closed her eyes for a few moments before she felt the heavy leather of Kidd's thick army boots pressing down on her fresh stomach scar.

"The fuck was that?" He yelled down at her, pushing a little harder.

"Instinctive reaction? I dunno." She replied almost instantly, wincing in pain as he pushed a little harder before he let her go.

"Get up!" He ordered her before strutting away to pick up his coat.

"What? Why? What's the rush?"

"There's somewhere that's been nagging at me since I got here."

Rachael thought to herself.

_Where would he think of going? He hardly does anything on board his own ship so what would engage him on the Archipelago._

She thought back to the anime, the places the Straw Hats, Heart Pirates and Kidd Pirates visited and who they fought. She came to the same conclusion when she remembered where all three of those groups met.

"It wouldn't happen to be in Grove 1 would it?" She asked, looking up at the sky blankly.

Killer and Kidd's breath hitched in surprise, hinting that she'd hit the nail on the head.

"Going to Auction House, huh?"

"Yea. What of it?" Kidd replied, a grumpy sneer spreading across his face.

_I'm beginning to know what being a child being lectured by their parents is like. What's with this woman?_

She jumped to her feet, running past Kidd and below deck to grab her bag, leaving Kidd's question unanswered. She soon returned, the two men still where she'd left them.

"I'm going on ahead." She said, going to run past Kidd and Killer. The first mate caught her right arm, yanking her arm to turn her to face him.

"How did you know?" Killer asked, looking at her quizzically through the holes in his mask, leaning close to her face.

"Let go please." Was all she responded, trying to yank away her arm.

_Dang it. I shouldn't have opened my big mouth._

Killer's grip tightened on her arm, repeating his question as Kidd came in close to them both, also looking at her, his sneer now turning into a moody expression. She remained tight lipped, not uttering a word, her gaze unwavering even after Killer tightened his grip again.

His grip on her arm was so tight he felt her heartbeat. It wasn't rapid but it wasn't normal either. Her breathing was elevated but not heavy.

_She's not scared, she's serious._

"Killer." She snapped his attention out of his thoughts.

He loosened and released his grip on her arm, leaving her to walk down the lowered plank onto the Archipelago.

"I'll see you guys there. I have something to do along the way." She shouted back to them as she ran off.

_Now, time to meet back up with the other two._


	59. Fun before battle

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

_Now, time to meet back up with the other two._

...

_The night seems to be passing quickly. Though my primary goal was to get to the Auction House, I need to find Rebecca and Timi before I get there._

Seeing the plaited girl, she called her, still running since she had gotten lost several times trying to find her.

"What's got you so out of breath? Were you running for the Sea Train?" Rebecca asked nonchalantly as Rachael leaned on her knees as she attempted to get more air in her lungs.

"Oh...HA...HA! Somebody's funny. No. I was trying to find you. It's the day of the Auction, remember? We have to go to Grove 1." She replied between gasps of air.

"Oh yeah! Camie gets kidnapped and the Straw Hats arrive today. We need to get there by mid afternoon so at least we can walk there."

"Talking about that, I have a plan." Rachael said, a cunning look in her eye.

"Oh?"

"I'll fill you in on it when we meet up with Timi. She should be either screwing or shunning Law right about now."

"What if we bid higher than the Celestial Dragons? They'd either have to try and shoot us on the spot or try to outbid us, and they seem too lazy to do the latter so we could always have a little fun and then meet up with the Straw Hats when they get there?" She said winking as a mischievous look now crossed her eyes.

"I honestly still think we should let events unfold as they should do. Let the Straw Hats rescue Camie-"

"You're not still on about that are you? You know what will happen if we do that?" Rachael interrupted.

"Ace will die. I know. I don't exactly want it to happen either, but if it doesn't then Luffy won't get stronger."

"If there's one thing I learned over those 50 years on that ship with Brook, it's that we cannot re-write history entirely. If we somehow do manage to save Ace, someone else will die. It's a given that Whitebeard won't walk out alive but it could be one of us instead. That's why I want to do things the same as the anime. Excuse me for being a killjoy but that's how it is."

"Surely there is something we can change?"

"Well, we could always deck Charloss in the shnoz. Don't think it'll make much difference to Luffy's bounty since it'll go up after the battle at Marineford anyways." She said, making her think of what was to come, a slightly daunting look crossing her face.

"That we could pull off." Rebecca said, seemingly smiling as she cocked her head to the side "And cheer up. Who knows what'll happen when the battle is over."

"Yeah." She replied half-heartedly, her eyes looking away from Rebecca as the familiar yellow paint of the sub came into sight as it emerged from the sea.

_It's whether we'll all make it out alive, that's what I'm worried about._

A furry white head in an orange jumpsuit burst through the door that led inside, along with Shachi and Penguin who were buried under his weight as he collapsed in a sweaty heap onto the deck, panting heavily.

"Finally...huff...fresh air."

"Bepo..." Penguin started as Shachi finished "...you're crushing us!"

"Oh! Sorry!" Bepo said as he seemed to drag himself off of the two suffocating men.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey! Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuys!" Rachael shouted, jumping on deck as Rebecca floated close behind.

"Rachael!" The three musketeers shouted back, throwing themselves at her.

"Ooof! I was only gone for a little over a day. Was life really that boring without me?" She asked as she had the wind knocked out of her.

"No. But we missed you regardless." Penguin said as him and Shachi started tearing up.

"Yeah. Your friend Timi is nice but she'll never replace ya." Shachi said through the blubbering.

"Alright, alright. That's enough." Rachael replied, pushing them off of her as she got to her feet.

"Where's Law?" Rebecca interjected.

Bepo looked up at the skeleton that stood before him for a few seconds before he reeled back in fear of Rebecca.

"W-w-w-what the hell is that?" He stuttered as he hid behind the other three.

"Oh! I don't think you guys have met yet. This is another one of my friends, Rebecca."

"Ummm...why is she a skeleton?" Shachi asked, frowning at Bepo as he hid behind them.

"Oh. Perhaps this is better?" Rebecca said. She waved a hand over her face and the illusion of her past self appeared.

"Ooooooo! That's neat!" Penguin said in amazement, making Rebecca chuckled to herself.

"Someone talking corpses without me?" Timi's voice echoed out of the long metal corridor that led into the sub.

"No Timi. It's just a **dead**-beat joke about Rebecca." Rachael replied

"Oh is that all?" She replied as her silhouette appeared in the dark doorway.

"That joke was bad and you should feel bad." Rebecca said, face palming before looking up at Rachael in disappointment.

"What else were you expecting? Some tame ass joke about how you're a **bone**-fied genius at magic stoof?" Rachael replied, waving her hands like a magician when they look like they're conjuring.

"Just stop." She replied plainly.

"If you're looking for Law, he'll be out shortly." Timi said, continuing "Him and the crew are going to the Auction House in Grove 1."

"That's where we're heading. Care to join us early?" Rebecca replied, turning to leave as Rachael ran off into the sub to find some better clothes.

"Alright." Timi said as she made to follow.

"Wait for me guys! I gotta change clothes and find something badass to wear!" Rachael shouted back from inside the sub.

"Why would she need something badass?" Timi asked, confused.

"Well the top Supernova's are going to be there." Rebecca explained, making Timi look down at herself.

"Good point. Maybe I should change too." She said, walking back into the sub.

"Guess I may as well come along. Do you mind?" She asked Penguin, Shachi and Bepo, since they were part of the crew as she gestured inside the sub.

"B-be our guest." Shachi replied, waving her inside.

She followed Timi as she followed Rachael to her room. She flung upon the wardrobe doors, surprised to find way more clothes in there than before.

"Law took the liberty of buying more clothes for you. After you left in a hurry, he had to improvise on what you liked so he bought a bit of everything." Timi explained, adding "He even bought me some stuff even though I asked him not to. He's so stubborn."

Both Rachael and Rebecca stared at Timi with raised eyebrows.

"What? Why are you looking at me that way?" She asked, oblivious to their thoughts.

"You're not exactly much better Timi." Rebecca said nonchalantly as she closed the door behind herself and sat on Rachael's bed. Her staff began to glow.

"That's probably why her and Law get along so well." Rachael added, smirking.

"Well thanks a bunch guys!" Timi said, picking up a cushion that she had left on the floor after she had shoved it off the bed in her sleep. She lobbed it at Rachael, hitting her in the face.

"Oh! You starting something?" She picked up the cushion, coming in close to Timi and swiping it across her face a few times before looking down at the cushion.

"Wait a second..." She said, looking down at the bright yellow cushion.

"Oh my..." Rebecca said, looking into the orb atop her staff.

"W-what is it?" Timi asked nervously.

"Seems somebody did the nasty last night...with a certain pirate captain no less."

Timi turned a deep shade of red in embarrassment.

"IT WAS ONE TIME AND HE STARTED IT!" she shouted before burying her face in her hands.

"I thought this pillow belonged to Law's bed. Now I know why it's in here at least."

"Don't worry Timi. It's perfectly natural." Rebecca said, pausing before she continued with a grin "Even if it is with a creation of Eiichiro Oda's."

"Alright. No need to rub it in." Timi replied, her face returning to normal but still a dark shade of pink.

"That's true. He already did that." Rachael said as she quickly backed away from Timi as she made a swipe to try and catch her.

After several moments of Timi trying to catch Rachael, Rebecca caught their attention.

"Alright, stop now please. You guys came in to get changed...so get bloody changed already!" she ordered them both.

They both stopped with the horseplay and quickly ran to the wardrobe.

Rachael quickly snatched away the black, steel spiked leather waistcoat and a long sleeved shirt that had a ripped design on its lower forearms and a long back that ended in a V-shape. She picked out a pair of dark grey three quarter lengths that fit exactly to her body shape and had two rips over the thigh on both legs. She grabbed a leather belt and fastened it partially into the trousers' belt holes, clipping her daggers onto it so they wouldn't come loose. Looking down, she took off the shoes and socks she had on and left herself barefoot.

"I'm good with this." She said, looking at herself in the full length mirror on the wall, impressed as she hardly recognised herself.

Timi picked out a crimson red tank top, a pair of ripped black jeans with a hole cut in it for her tail and a pair of black, military style boots. Looking herself up and down, she liked the look and looked to Rachael and Rebecca for approval. Rachael threw a black leather jacket over her head.

"Wear that over it. You'll get cold otherwise and Luffy will spot you easier if you don't. We need to make sure he doesn't know you are there."

She looked the jacket over as she tried it on. It had slightly pointed shoulders that had copper spikes leading from them to the neck, which was studded all the way around. The sleeves fit exactly to her body shape, leaving enough room for her to manoeuvre and fight with. It went down to just above where her foot met her leg and had a split down the middle from the waist, leaving her tail room to poke out. The bottom edge and the sleeve cuffs were lined with a thin layer of copper flames that looked more like tiger stripes that seemed to define the whole outfit.

Timi looked in the mirror again and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Bad-ass!" She said, throwing Rachael into a hug "Thank you!"

"I guess I should change my look too." Rebecca said, standing up as she looked into her staff. "This should do."

Immediately, her illusion vanished and her ragged cloak that she had been wearing on her bare bones vanished. It was replaced with a flawless, long and midnight blue cloak with a large hood that hid her bony feet underneath. The sleeves were severely baggy as they hung off her arms, and the glint of tiny white gems, in the patterns of constellations, could be seen if someone looked hard enough at the enormous cuffs and the end of the cloak as they faded into the blue.

Rachael and Timi gawked at her for a few moment before Law came into the room, snatching their attention away.

"We're heading out." He said, staring at them all a second before his eyes focused on Rebecca. "You must be...Rebecca?"

"Well spotted." She replied sarcastically.

"Guess the crew weren't kidding when they said you were all bones."

"Would you prefer this?" She said, waving on the illusion but only applying it to her face and hands since her body was now fully hidden.

"We're leaving soon so are you guys coming or not?" He said sternly, ignoring Rebecca's illusion as he left the door open for them to follow.

"Yea. We're coming. Keep your pants on." Timi shouted after him.

"Hey guys, take these." Rachael said, throwing them both mini-transponder snails "If we're going into battle, we need to stay connected. Marineford is going to be a fuck fest and I'd rather come out of it alive."

Timi replied in a sarcastic voice as she headed out of the door

"Don't we all."


	60. A head start and some time to kill

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"Don't we all."

The three of them walked out behind Law in silence after that. Soon after they left the sub, Rachael saw the Kidd Pirates far off in the distance, led by the man himself. Glancing around, no one else was there except the Kidd pirates. They either didn't notice them or were ignoring them completely as they didn't even grace them with a glance.

Timi ran to stand next to Law and they talked on the way to the Auction house whilst Rachael and Rebecca made immature poses behind them.

…

They soon came to the auction house as the auctions began. Looking around, there were only a few empty seats left but just enough for Law's crew. Kidd tsk-ed as he took a position next to Rachael by the door. Timi walked calmly to take an empty seat on the end of a row, holding her tail on her lap as Rachael leant her back on the auction house door. Rebecca floated up to the rafters, finding a pole that jutted out of the ceiling, sitting down out of sight from the unsuspecting crowd below. As Disco began to bring out the slaves for auction, Timi's face changed into one of disgust and sadistic longing to maim and kill, her eyes burning with hatred. A look given to few in her world, it had scared any who had seen it to a point where they had even shivered in fear.

"That's quite a menacing look for a woman your size." Law said, smiling next to her with an amused smirk. She shot him with her evil stare.

"You got a problem with my height, fluffy?" She asked as she glared at him.

"Fluffy? That's rich coming from a woman with cat ears." He replied, eager not to lose this fight of insults.

"I'm not a common moggy ya know! I'm a tiger, so put a cork in it!" She shouted in his face, brushing her tail under his nose and making him sneeze.

"Go chase a ball of string." He snidely remarked, smirking at her for added insult.

"Oh you are totally going there. Not like I don't hear that one every day. At least I won't sink, anchor boy." She said, lowering her voice and giving him a warning glare, the fur on her tail bushing up as she tried to intimidate him.

"Don't go making trouble, blondie." He replied calmly with a smirk, giving her his own warning glare.

"If it wasn't for the proximity of Marines, I'd be mauling you right now." She replied, giving up since she knew it was hopeless against him and a few people were beginning to look at them. As Disco led a prisoner in a captains hat onto the stage, Timi knew what he was going to do.

"Lacuba...that guy's about to bite his tongue." Timi said to herself, looking intently at the man on stage. Five minutes passed with Disco introducing the captain as Lacuba and as he rebelled, a flow of blood came from his mouth and he flopped unconscious onto the floor of the stage.

"Wha-" Law began.

"5 people and a starfish are about to walk in the door behind me. 4 of which belong to my crew." She interrupted, not shifting her gaze as they dragged the limp captain's body from the stage. A few moments passed and Nami, Chopper, Franky, Sanji, Hatchan and Pappug entered the hall.

"Wha-" He was cut off again by her.

"The bidding for the mermaid will start when the Celestial Dragon, Saint Charloss, makes a bid of 500 million berries."

"Why didn't either of you tell us Keimi was here?" Timi heard Nami shout from behind her, not quite shouting but still loud enough to draw some annoyed stares to her.

_Guess that cat's out of the bag._

"You would have found out from Usopp anyway. I had some recon to do." She replied calmly, giving Nami only the edge of her gaze as she kept her voice low but loud enough to hear as the red head scowled back.

"Now to start the bidding..." Disco's voice came through the speakers.

Throughout the time they had been there, Rachael's face had remained relatively unmoved, even when the Straw Hats had walked in. She stared intently, almost scowling at the stage as Keimi's fishbowl came on stage, her hands in cuffs and her neck fitted with an explosive collar.

Kidd noticed Rachael by the door. Her gaze was unmoving and her eyes were strong and filled with a wilful fire. He couldn't help but stare a little.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you that it's rude to stare, Eustass?" She asked calmly, not taking her eyes from the stage.

"What's it to you where I look, woman?" He argued back, his patience thin as ever.

"Anywhere than at me is fine. Take 'em for a stroll elsewhere." She replied, taunting him further.

"500 MILLION BERRIES!" Came Charloss's booming voice, cutting their argument short and drawing Rachael and Timi's gaze down to the Celestial Dragon's box, their eyes holding nothing but pure anger towards them as they both thought the same thing.

_Bastards. I'd kill them where they stand if I had the chance._

Both Rebecca and Timi tuned out the Straw Hats as they began to break down. Nami dropped her auction number, her eyes wide in severe shock.

"This is where it begins." Timi said under her breath.

Kidd tsked and turned to leave, the look of boredom spread across his face "It's like a symbol of how messed up the world is. I've seen enough of this farce."

"Don't leave now, you'll miss the party." She said, looking at him with a mysterious smile. He looked at her a moment, confused.

_Her eyes don't lie but there's almost a certain…is that happiness I see? What is she hiding and why does this bitch insist on me staying in this shithole?_

Just as he was about to ask for her reasoning, something whizzed past his head faster than he could react. It had broken through the wall and by the time he saw what it was, it had crashed into the seats. A giant unconscious fish with 3 riders, who had fallen off upon entry, got up as they groaned from the landing.

Luffy and Zoro argued about what had happened on the way to the Auction House before Luffy remembered that he was here for Keimi. Spotting her on stage, he raced down the stairs.

"Straw Hat!" Hatchan called after him.

He didn't listen.

Realising he wasn't stopping, the fish man ran after him. He wound his arms around Luffy's shoulders but he refused to slow down. No matter how hard Hatchan tried to persuade Luffy to stop, he kept going. His jacket opened, revealing his other four arms, grabbing hold of Luffy and slowing him down to crawling speed.

People in the crowd grimaced and shrieked in surprise, quickly shifting away as their eyes stared fear and judgment onto Hatchan. Taking the chance, the three girls slipped out before any of the crews could notice that they were gone. Meeting outside the entrance, they were greeted with a swarm of marines making their way around the building, surrounding them.

Rachael looked around as all guns were trained on them "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I have a really big feeling of déjà vu."

"Ditto." Rebecca replied.

"Shall we spoil the captains' fun or do you think we should wait?" Timi asked, itching to transform as her tail twitched in agitation and excitement for a hunt.

"Well, we could always get a head start. Let's have some fun." Rebecca said. She waved her staff and several orbs went hurtling into the crowd, sending several marines flying.

"Who are these three?" Asked one marine, looking at his colleagues for answers.

"I dunno. I've never seen them before." Answered another.

"I guess these guys need a lesson on who we are!" Timi said, transforming into her tiger form and leaping into the fray.

"Yup. I think it's about time we give this world a heads up on the next storm! Let's go!" She ran out into the crowd, pulling the ninja blade that Law had bought for her a while back out of a hidden scabbard that had been attached to the bottom of her back.

As the three of them got started on the marines outside, the commotion caught Kidd's attention.

"What's going on out there?" He asked, looking quizzically out of the double doors.

"Sounds like a fight. But who's fighting?" Killer replied.

"I think I know." Kidd replied, looking over to where Rachael had been.

"When did SHE slip away?" Penguin asked, now seeing that Timi was gone.

"It must have been just before the crowd ran like rats." Law replied, adding "The spy in the rafters left along with them."

"Spy?" Bepo asked, confused.

They soon lost interest as Luffy had gotten angry and landed a punch in Saint Charloss' face. The whole auction house was in shock, both from Hatchin's sudden reveal and of Luffy's behaviour against a Celestial Dragon. As the guards rushed at the Straw Hats, the Celestial Dragon who was Charloss' father ordered an admiral and the navy to converge on them, the crowd running wildly towards the exit to escape the battle.

"We'll make those pirates suffer!" He shouted, grimacing after Sanji had kicked him.

Back outside, the crowd escaped through the ranks of the navy, the three women blending in with the rush to slip through the marines unseen.

"Hey! Where'd they go?"

"They're blending in with the crowd! It's impossible to find them!"

"Leave them. If they're running away from this fight then they're not worth our time!" Yelled the Brigadier General, continuing "See to any wounded and send a covert squad to retrieve the Celestial Dragons!"

"Yes Sir!" The marines yelled, making sure that the civilians were unharmed.

Rachael, Rebecca and Timi all hid behind one of the Mangrove trees, gasping for breath as Timi kept her eyes and ears trained on the auction house, still in her tiger form.

"I can't believe they think we're not worth their time! What a bunch of assholes!" Rachael said, her face one of frustration as she looked like she wanted to fight more.

"Well we can't change the world too much or we'll end up creating an entirely new series of events which will never happen in the anime." Rebecca replied, leaning on her staff.

"Why are you out of breath? You don't even have lungs!" Rachael argued back between breaths.

"Oh I see how it is. Just 'cause I don't have internal organs anymore, you assume I can run on empty now?" She argued back.

"Well I know how Brook's Devil Fruit works but we don't know anything about yours." She replied, calming down as she gestured to herself and Timi, who was still staring around the tree at the situation.

She growled loudly, breaking the two's argument and catching their attention.

"What's up?" They both asked, looking at each other questioningly before grinning and laughing it off.

Timi made a low growl, nudging her head in the direction of the auction house as several more holes now dotted the place where the remaining flying fish had landed.

"Oh! They're about to start!" Rebecca said, staring intently into her staff's orb.

"What are you doing?" Rachael asked, wondering what could be more important.

"Getting a good view. Besides, I need to know how far away the next wave is." She replied. Her orb shimmered and blurs of images came into focus. It gave an aerial view of the battlefield as well as the heat signatures of the navy reinforcements. "They look to be about 15 minutes away."

"Right. That means we have some time." Rachael replied, slipping down the tree's roots and walking in the direction of the ranks of the navy that were to come later.

"You can't be serious. You're going to take on the navy reinforcements by yourself?"

"Why? Aren't you coming with me?"

Even Timi turned to look at her as they both stared judgementally at her.

"Are you nuts?! We might run into an admiral!" The lich shouted back.

"So you are coming?" Rachael said, smiling as she noticed Rebecca's choice of words.

"W-what about- " Rebecca asked, being ignored as Timi had already jumped down to join Rachael as they walked off. "Hey! At least wait for me!"

Rachael stopped and looked back "Well then hurry up slowpoke!"


	61. The progression from noobs to kickass!

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

Rachael stopped and looked back "Well then hurry up slowpoke!"

…

"I can't believe we're doing this." Rebecca said lowly, looking into her orb "Guess those three bigshots are about to make hell."

"Guess you'll miss your boyfriend, Timi." Rachael said, poking out her tongue at the tiger as she let a snarling growl escape her jaws.

"Your boyfriend is back there too, ya know." Rebecca said, teasing Rachael as she looked away innocently.

Rachael stopped, her face wide eyed and angry "EXCUSE ME?!"

"What? He's been eyeing you up ever since you met him."

"Were you spying on me?"

"Maybe a little. But even though he seemed to brush you off harshly, he likes you. He was checking you out whilst you were…"

"I know that part. I was there. Funnily enough, I was focusing on something more important than the redhead and the rest of the motley crew."

"Ah. The joys of being everywhere and yet here at the same time."

"Show off."

"Jealous?"

Rachael looked ready to explode when Timi interrupted them both with a loud roar, snapping them back to see that a hoard of marines were running towards them.

"Would you look at that?"

"What?"

"We have company. Shall we invite them to tea?" Rachael asked jokingly.

"I was thinking more of a hot chocolate with cream." She replied, spinning her staff as a soft whistling began to echo from it.

Timi's growling began periodically, her laughter an irregular sound coming from a tiger as she leapt into the action, a wide grin crossing her striped lips.

"Well now, you men are being outmatched by a cat. How very odd to see such a thing." Came a strangely odd voice. It seemed to come from nowhere before a flash of bright light sent Timi flying, hitting her back on one of the large mangrove trees.

A man in a yellow and striped suit materialised from the light.

"Oh crap." Rachael grimaced.

"I completely forgot about him being here." Rebecca replied, holding her ground as her staff whistled louder

"How did we all forget about him?" Came Timi's voice. She got up from her disgruntled heap and growled.

"You can talk in your tiger form? Since when?" Rachael asked, surprised at the new development.

"I don't know. All my growling earlier was me trying to form words. Guess my attempts finally paid off." She replied, her feline fangs creating words with odd lip shapes typically unnatural for a tiger.

"I hate to interrupt." The yellow suited man said, now standing before them as they jumped back in surprise "This seems to be an interesting chat but I'm afraid I'll have to cut your fun short."

"Fuck you Kizaru!" They all shouted back at him. He looked a little taken aback as he hesitated in his attack. Taking the chance, Rebecca swung her now humming staff at Kizaru as it glowed a brilliant purple. Instead of passing through him, it somehow made contact, hitting his jaw and knocking off his glasses.

Timi and Rachael stared, stunned that she had hit a Logia-type devil fruit user…and a light man no less. Kizaru looked back at her, clearly surprised but as he readied a light sword, the three of them just disappeared.

"An illusion?" He thought to himself. After a few moments, he heard the distressed screams of his men as they began to fall one by one. Turning, he saw nothing as the men kept falling down. Some had bite marks and signs of mauling, others had slash wounds and were bleeding out, but the worst were those that were spontaneously combusting or flying through the air only to be slammed down unconscious.

(_Meanwhile, back at the Auction House_)

"Where is our backup?!" the Brigadier General yelled, searching the area and seeing no one coming to their aid.

"Sir! No update on Admiral Kizaru's platoon! It's possible something happened to them!" One of the marines replied, seemingly the second in command.

"Dammit! At this rate, we'll have to retreat! Without reinforcements, we're sitting ducks just waiting to get shot! What's the status on the Celestial Dragons?"

"The covert team has them in their custody! They're bringing them out as we speak, sir!"

"Good. Our main priority has been accomplished…but these rookies are mopping the floor with us! Regroup and attack men! Don't let up!"

"This is child's play." Kidd said, swinging his massive fist made of various metal weapons into the navy ranks.

"Someone else got the head start; we're just cleaning up the mess. It's embarrassing." Law replied. He used his abilities to cut up the marines but not kill them, a sadistic smirk plastered on his face.

"What are you guys talking about?" Luffy asked, oblivious.

"Have you not been paying attention?" Kidd replied to the ignorant straw-hatted pirate.

"Yeah, but I'm totally lost on what you're talking about." He replied, running in to catch the mortars' cannonballs as he flung them back, accidentally dropping one near to Law and Kidd.

"You really need to keep an eye on your crew members, Straw Hat." Law replied, thinking of Timi as his smirk grew into a full creepy smile.

"They're all back there!" Luffy shouted back, pointing a thumb in the direction of the Auction House.

"Really? I could swear I saw a certain female sneaking away before we all came out here." Kidd said sarcastically, unable to give any more subtle hints to an imbecile. He really was oblivious.

Luffy counted on his fingers and then realised he missed one.

"Oh crap! Timi is missing!" Luffy yelled, a worried expression on his face.

"Now it clicks." Kidd said, swinging his hand again.

Law joined in "Rachael too. Not the brightest, are you, Straw-hat?"

"No need for insults guys. She can take care of herself. Besides, she has friends with her. I'm sure Rachael and Rebecca will keep her safe." The carefree captain replied.

"Rebecca?" Kidd asked. He hadn't met the lich-woman so he looked at them both confused.

"Yeah. The three of them aren't from this place. They aren't even from this world."

"Wait a second…would they happen to know a boy called Timothy?" Kidd replied, now looking at them both questioningly after his attack.

Luffy looked at Kidd in surprise "Yeah. They talked about someone with that name. How did you know?"

"That skinny twig is part of my crew. He's the best sharpshooter I got." He replied.

The various crews were beginning to make their way out now they heard nothing from the battlefield. The marines lay wasted in front of the Auction House. Some had their limbs rearranged by Law, others had been beaten up by Kidd and some had their attacks redirected by Luffy and then also beaten up. It was a wonderland of pain.

"That's new to me." Luffy replied, still surprised.

"Me too. The way they talked about him…they must not know he's here." Law added, his crew now gathered behind him as he continued "Listen. I'd like to stay and chat but I don't think any of us want to be facing down an admiral today."

"Now that you mention it, where are the reinforcements?" Kidd said, looking thoughtfully beyond the carnage before them.

"Yeah. I was expecting more of a fight." Luffy replied, his fist in his hand.

"Those sneaky girls." Law said.. It wasn't an answer to the question but more a thought to himself as he made to walk away. He was about to take the path back the way they had came when he had a thought.

_What if the admiral is with those three? Can Rachael and the others hit him, let alone defeat him?_

His curiosity got the better of him as he changed his course.

"Where are we going, Captain? The sub's that way." Penguin asked nervously.

"To pick up one of our own." He replied.

(_Back at the battle against Kizaru_)

"Argh!" Rachael let out a cry of pain as Kizaru shot her again, this time close to her heart. She fell to her knees holding the wound as he continued to charge.

Seeing her in trouble, Rebecca stepped in, her staff glowing a bright orange before a shockwave pushed Kizaru back.

"We can't beat him!" Timi shouted to the other two. They had finished damaging the ranks of the marines long ago, the men lying splayed across the blood stained grass as the groaned in pain.

"Now we're the ones needing reinforcements." Rachael joked, grimacing in pain as she stood again, the wound scabbing itself shut and sealing the more severe damage inside.

"Amen to that. I'm almost out of magic power!" She shouted back as she quickly floated away and the two split up.

_None of us have haki, which makes hitting Kizaru impossible. Without someone who does or some form of weapon that will allow us to touch him, we're finished!_

Suddenly, Kizaru winced in pain. Stumbling forwards, an arrow could be seen sticking out of his back. Shortly after, another hit him in the back of the leg.

"Where are those coming from?" Timi asked, looking around as she bared her fangs threateningly.

"Up here, scrubs." Came a male's voice.

The three looked at each other and then up to where they thought they heard the voice. A stick-of-a-boy jumped down from the high mangrove branch, jumping off of Kizaru as he landed. The admiral stared at him as he pulled out the arrows.

"Oooh…well, this is unexpected." He said as he straightened himself up, the blood turning his suit an ugly shade of orange on his leg. "A young lad using sea prism arrows? How scary…"

He jumped into the air, crossing his arms as two gleams of light appeared in his hands.

"Oh crap! RUN!" Rachael shouted. As the four of them turned to run away, she heard the one word that would give her the most hope.

"ROOM!"


	62. Great escapes and bad dreams, Haki?

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

"ROOM!"

The boy shot an arrow past Law, missing him completely but Law knew what he was doing.

"SHAMBLES!"

They were whisked behind him a good distance away from Kizaru.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Law yelled at Rachael.

"We were trying to give you enough time to get away from the auction house before-" She was cut off by another laser blast. Turning to look, a large man with the look of a bear about him stood there with his mouth open as it smoked.

"Bartholomew Kuma!" Law said in surprise.

"No. It's not him." Rebecca said back calmly.

"It's a government weapon made to look like him. A Pacifista, and that was a warning shot." The boy finished.

"Talking of which, HOW ARE YOU HERE TIM?!" Timi asked, looking at him with a quizzical stare.

"Same way you are I guess?" He shrugged.

"Weird storm then suddenly hurtling through the air?" Rachael asked nonchalantly.

"Something like that."

"Trafalgar Law. Bounty 200,000,000 Berries." The Pacifista said, opening its mouth again.

"Welp, that's our queue. Time to go!" Rachael said, running in the direction of Law's submarine as her captain and the others followed close behind.

"Let's split! We all have to survive this!" Rebecca shouted, another shot drowning out her voice.

"You've died once already! Try not to make it a habit!" Timi shouted back, running in the direction of Shakey's Bar since she knew the Straw Hats would be there. "Hey! Law! Don't set off without me!"

He was surprised by her words since he knew she was one of the Straw Hats.

_Why would she want to come with me?_

"Don't tell me what to do, woman!" He shouted back as he herded the other two towards the shore.

"I have to split too!" Tim yelled "I promised to meet with my captain later so…bye!"

"Wait! Tim! Take this!" Rebecca threw a stone, similar to Rachael and Timi's, to him. Catching it, he looked down to see an imperfect emerald. One side was almost flawless whilst the other was rough and jagged. Nodding in thanks, he slipped the leather band attached to it over his head and ran off.

As Rachael, Rebecca and Law ran to the sub, he looked at her back with a look that had seen better days. She could feel his burning judgement as he scowled.

"Spill it. What is it this time?"

"You have friends that are part of different crews."

"And?"

"And…that may mean you have to fight each other in the future."

"We've already fought each other before. Being friends isn't always fine and dandy you know." Rebecca interjected.

Law ignored her "You may have to kill them."

"Not happening. I wouldn't do that even if you ordered me to."

"You really are headstrong aren't you?"

Rachael turned to look at him "It's more fun that way…and it pisses people off more. Who would want to be normal anyway?"

"If you were normal, you'd be less of a pain for one thing."

"It was your choice, not mine, to pick me up from that island."

"You were dying, I didn't have another choice."

"Well, you could have let me die. Would've been much easier."

"Did you want that?"

"No…but you made that choice." She said before turning to look over her shoulder "And I am thankful for it."

Law felt a little heat in his cheeks.

_Did she just THANK me?!_

The familiar speck of yellow came into view as they passed another ridge where a mangrove root had pushed the ground up. Though they were in the middle of a warzone, Rachael began to think through her situation.

_If we don't survive this, we'll be broken apart. So far, 4 of us have fallen here. Even though Rebecca's technically already died once and come back from the experience, none of us have devil fruits that will allow us to do the same. If we die here, then it's game over._

The explosions from the laser blasts were growing closer. Rachael had a bad feeling, sending shivers up her spine. She stopped in time before a blast was aimed in front of them both instead of behind them. Her heart was racing and her senses were on edge.

_I'm not about to let that happen._

She could hear what sounded like many faint voices in her head. It was almost like there was a crowd of people in the distance. Looking around, she saw nothing. Several became silent, then a few more, until the voices began to disappear in larger and larger amounts.

"That was too close!" Law cursed, his hand on the handle of his blade as he turned to look at her. "If you hadn't stopped we would've-" He stopped as she saw her face. "Hey! What's with that face?"

"I…I can…hear them." She said in a quiet voice.

"Hey! This is no time to daydream! We have to go, now!" He shouted in her face, grabbing her by the wrist as he ran the rest of the way with her trailing behind him. Her face looked like she was distracted, almost like she was focusing on a distant sound but not making it out as she frowned.

Bepo, Penguin, Shachi and the newly recruited Jean Bart came running onto the deck as the door to the inside was flung open. Rachael snapped out of her daze as she heard them shouting, coming up alongside Law and as they boarded.

"I'll buy you some time to get out of the bay! Hurry!" Rebecca shouted as she floated high into the air.

"Submerge!" Law yelled. He knew the sacrifice Rebecca was making and he wasn't about to waste it.

Rachael looked at him surprised "What about Timi?"

"She'll have to find us later. If we don't submerge now, we'll risk damage to the sub, and that means forfeiting our only way out!" He turned sharply to the rest of the crew "Full speed ahead!"

She felt the sub lurch forward under her feet as it went straight into its highest gear.

_Well, when Law makes a decision in a crisis, it's final. Sorry Timi, there's nothing I can do._

As she walked into the sub, she avoided the rest of the crew and found her room just as she left it. Since the last time she tried to help, which had ended badly, Law had ordered her not help in a crisis unless it was a battle, so she had no other choice. Feeling washed out and exhausted, she dumped her bag and weapons by the bed before flopping face first onto the fluffed pillows. As soon as her face landed, it felt as if she was still falling. Darkness consumed her and she fell into the realms of sleep with an exhausted smile on her face.

(_Meanwhile with Law_)

Law watched Rachael slowly close her door behind her.

_I've never seen her with such dark bags. Has she not been eating or resting enough? Or is her devil fruit increasing in the way it delivers its restorative properties._

After making sure they were out of range from the Pacifista, Law passed her door. Knocking, he entered swiftly after not hearing a response. She lay spread across the bed, arms out and sleeping soundly with her jacket off. Being careful and trying not to make a sound, he came in and pulled the covers around her. Making sure she was wrapped well, he left as swiftly as he had entered.

As she slept, she had the strangest dream. If you ever have a dream where you dream you are sleeping, this was it for her. She was in her room, as she expected.

_Though I know I am dreaming. Something about this whole situation…seems strange._

Law had entered her dream. He had come into her room, folded the covers carefully, admire his work…and then left, as soon as he had entered.

_That's not like him._

It felt strange. It was like she looking from another person's perspective. She watched as he left.

_Why?_

…

Several hours later, she awoke to a quiet submarine. There wasn't the pitter patter of footsteps or the whining of Bepo to Penguin and Shachi that he was too warm, and there was no Law ordering his crew around. Unfolding the covers and taking shaky steps, she stepped out into the hallway.

Nothing.

There wasn't even the faint beep of the sonar.

_Am I still dreaming?_

As she looked around, she peeked into every room on her way to one of the sub's exit doors. She felt a small breeze.

_The main exit door is open, but where is everybody?_

"L-law?" She called.

No answer.

She turned a corner and to her surprise, and her horror, the bodies of her crew mates lined the corridor. There was blood all over the walls and their eyes all seemed to turn in their lifeless heads to look at her. She turned away, the contents of her stomach emptying them on the floor. It soon began to mix with a large pool of blood on the floor.

It looked to be running out from the food hall. As she grew closer, she saw a hand from behind the corner, a nodachi lying next to its open lifeless form.

"L-law?" She stammered to call for him this time, not wanting to believe what she was seeing. As she rounded the corner, her bare feet now covered in blood, Law's cold dead eyes stared back. She looked around the room to avoid his stare, but what she saw made her blood run colder than it already was.

Timi, Rebecca and Tim lay in the canteen with body parts spread everywhere. If it wasn't for their broken weapons and their sense of dress, she wouldn't have been able to identify their mutilated bodies. Their eyes were gouged out and their empty sockets stared at them.

All of a sudden, the corpses began to move. Blood dripped and organs dropped out as they slowly crawled and limped towards her. As she attempted to turn and run, Rebecca quickly grabbed her legs, whilst Tim grabbed her arms. Timi slowly came around behind her and bit into her neck, hard. Rebecca and Tim followed suit as they peeled off layers of flesh…like zombies.

As she let out a blood curdling scream, she jolted awake in her bed, breathing hard. She felt down her neck, legs and arms before holding her head in her hands, her body letting off a cold sweat.


	63. Chapter 63

**I do not own anything within this fanfiction and any names used are purely coincidental with those of the One Piece anime. All rights go to the creators and editors of the One Piece universe and to its writer Eiichiro Oda.**

She felt down her neck, legs and arms before holding her head in her hands, her body letting off a cold sweat.

Everyone on the sub had heard her scream. Usually, she hadn't been one to make overly female noises, like screaming or yelps of surprise but it sounded so strange that the crew weren't sure if it was her or not.

Law came running into her room without knocking. Seeing her in a cold sweat, trembling hard and her hands in her wavy bed hair, he sat down next to her. Placing the covers over her shoulders, he saw Shachi and Penguin in the doorway.

"Go get her some coffee." He said in a low voice. The two of them raced off, the sound of their frantic footsteps the only thing to break the relative silence between them. Law got up and then crouched down in front of her face.

"Hey, want to talk?" He asked, not pushing for her to speak as he put aside his usual strong and assertive tone. Her trembling seemed to slow as she looked up at him. Her eyes were red, almost like they had shot open too fast and then had tears well up in them. She had the watery beads staining the corners of her eyes but turned her head away from him so her hair would hide them. It had grown out down past their neck in such a short time.

_Should I have shaved it all off instead of just cutting it short? …no. It wouldn't have made much of a difference. She was never one to care much for her hair._

"If you won't talk, then do you want some coffee?"

Her eyes peeked out from her hair as she sighed and turned back slightly "Yeah. Thanks."

Law walked out, closing the door behind him and leaving her alone. She slowly got up and turned towards the bathroom. She quickly stripped, wanting to get out of her sweaty clothes and putting them by her door for the laundry run, throwing the leather jacket on the back of the door.

She hurriedly jumped into the shower, shoving on the water tap. Looking down, she leant on the wall, ignoring the seemingly boiling water that was slowly turning their skin pink. A pang of pain ran through their upper body and she almost cried out in automatic response, just catching the sound before it escaped her.

Law soon came back and heard her in the shower. He heard a groan of pain come from behind the door and immediately frowned. Setting down the coffee, he moved to the door and knocked twice.

"Hey. You ok in there?"

Law's knocks at the door snapped her back to reality, snapping her eyes open as she scowled at the door.

_Damn. I guess he heard me._

Returning her gaze to the floor, she remained quiet.

Law heard no response and his frown deepened. He knocked again.

"Ugh…" He heard from behind the door "…what do you want Law?"

"I want to talk to you."

"Right now?"

"Yes right now."

"Fine. Gimme a sec."

She came walking out the bathroom in similar clothes to the ones she had been in earlier, the only difference being that her trousers were now sporting a baggy, navy-camo look. A towel was sitting on her head as she rubbed at the right side of her head lazily. She walked straight past him and sat on the bed again.

"Ok. I'm here, shoot."

"Your dr-"

"See, I'm gonna have to stop you right there." She interrupted, knowing what he was going to say "I'm not saying a word about it and you won't get a single word about it out of me, no matter how hard you try."

"But-"

"But nothing. End of story." She stood up from the bed and looked to open her bedroom door when Law grabbed her wrist.

"Look, I may not be your family or your friends, but I am your captain and as such, every member aboard this sub is considered as such." He paused "And that includes you."

She waited a few moments before breaking the awkward silence.

"You done?"

Law could see he wasn't going anywhere right now.

_Man, I knew she was headstrong…but was she always this stubborn?_

He slowly let her go, watching her as she put on her shoes and grabbed her bag, shoving some clothes inside from the drawers by the door. She left the bag by the door before grabbing her coffee from next to Law. Taking a sip, she sighed deeply.

"I'm not saying anything because I don't want to. You know I'm not one for divulging into my personal matters. You had to pry it out of me last time."

"I know." Law seemed distracted.

Drinking the rest of her coffee, she walked towards the food hall to return the cup to the kitchen.

That's when she heard it again. The voices in her head had returned.

_Oh god, it's like they're everywhere!_

She dropped the mug, grasping at her hair.

"Ow! Not again!"

Law heard the mug smashing on the cold metal floor.

"Rachael! What is it?!"

"The voices! There's voices in my head! They're so loud! Make it stop, please! Make it stop!"

Law was stunned; he had never seen something like this happen before.

_For once, I am stuck._

"Stay calm! Look at me!" He said, putting a hand on her forehead as he stood in front of her.

_Could it be a side of effect of her devil fruit?_

"Take deep breathes, you know how they work."

_Perhaps I can try something._

"Someone fetch Bepo!"

"I'm on it!" came the faint response of Penguin from the food hall.

Several of the crew peered out at her in worry. Soon enough the fluffy bear came racing to a halt at the corner, working up a humongous sweat.

"I came as soon as I could, Captian!"

Law turned to Rachael.

"Hey. I need you to try something for me."

"I can't!" She shouted shakily, her voice wavering like she had been crying.

"Bullshit!" Law shouted back. He knew she could do better than that.

His stern voice snapped her back into her senses. The voices were still there but at least she could hear him a little clearer.

"Bepo, say something, anything at all."

"Umm…ok?" The bear thought for a moment.

"Tell her the story of the Tongue-Cut Sparrow!" Shouted Shachi.

"Oooooh! That's a good one!" Irwin shouted from the hatch to the kitchen.

"Shh! Let him choose!" Someone in the back called, silencing everyone.

"I guess I can do that. I know that one from my home." Bepo said, sitting down.

The more he told the story, the more she seemed to guess what happened next. To the others, it was like she had the ability to sense the future since she knew the end of the story and yet had never heard it before.

"How did you know the ending?" Bepo asked, a look of serious confusion on his fuzzy face.

"I-I don't know. I know I've never heard that story before. It's like a voice in my head said what happened next before you did."

Before anyone could say anything more, the stone around her neck began to glow. A bright flash blinded everyone and as it faded, it left a familiar figure in it's wake.

"R-Rebecca? How did-"

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagiiiiiiiic!" She interrupted "Sorry, I couldn't help eavesdropping. You looked a little out of sorts before you got onto the sub so I was listening in to see if you were ok."

"I am not OK! When have I ever been?" Rachael almost shouted out.

"Well for one thing, you don't recognise Haki when you experience it for yourself. We've all only had outside perspectives on it before now."

"So…that's what this is?"

"It's not surprising that you didn't know what it was. From Oda's way of giving characters the 'Observational' type of Haki, it can vary from person to person. No wonder you thought you were going insane."

"Well that's a relief."

_I was going batshit crazy._

"At least that should help keep you on your toes. Especially since the battle is so close."

"Battle?"

"Yeah. There's going to be a huge battle at Marineford."

Law turned to Rachael.

"And you're going there?"

"Yes?"

"No!"

"W- "

"Absolutely not!"

"I have every right!"

"You do not!"

"In what way am I not?"

"You don't even belong to this world!"

The crew gave a gasp.

_Crap! How could he?_

Rachael let her hair cover her eyes.

"You're right, I don't. Perhaps I don't belong on this crew either!" She stormed past Law, grabbing the bag she had left by her bedroom door. As she made her way the long way around to the exit, she felt the sub surface and opened the door. Hearing the sound of soft footsteps behind her, she turned to see Rebecca.

"Are you sure you wanted to do that?"


End file.
